Zodiac Senshi
by Shritistrang
Summary: Usagi and her friends learn of a new group of Senshi. Now, their new reincarnations have to be found, along with their transformation amulets. The trail leads them to Nerima... Crossover with Ranma and several other series.
1. The Aquarius Amulet

A small, dark room in the dungeons of the moon palace...

Flaming torches, creating flickering shadows on the walls...

Twelve female figures nervously waiting for someone...

"Are you sure Lady Zodiac will come in time?" one of the fuku-clad women asked in a small voice.

"Of course she'll come," another one answered. "Be a little more patient, Libra!"

"She has been acting pretty mysterious for the past few weeks," a third one said. "You think she has some sort of important secret to tell us?"

"I don't know," the second one sighed. "But if she doesn't even tell the queen, who is her own cousin, it really must be something very serious, Capricorn!"

They all jumped when a calm voice spoke up: "Well, you're all quite curious, aren't you? But don't worry, curiosity is the first step towards knowledge."

They all calmed down when they recognized the moon queen's younger sister. "Lady Zodiac," a tall girl called out. "You really startled us. What's so important that we all have to meet in hiding?"

The noblewoman quickly hurried over to them. "I have something very important to tell you... something very disturbing..."

"What is it?" the tall girl asked curiously.

Lady Zodiac sighed. "It's not easy for me to talk about it, Sailor Taurus, but... I fear the earth kingdom will attack us very soon."

The twelve other woman gasped. "You're serious?" Libra asked. "So soon? But... what are we going to do about it?"

"The queen plans to fight until the end... and I fear they don't stand a chance," said the lady in a sad voice. "So I came to a decision... There is a way to save us all... but everyone of you has to make a big sacrifice."

"To save the kingdom, I would risk everything," said a girl with bright red hair. The others nodded.

"Well spoken, Sailor Leo... Well, for the past weeks, I studied the royal books... and I found a spell which I could use to make a barrier that will protect the moon from the forces of earth. But, it will take a big amount of power to create it... The only way to do it would be: You would have to sacrifice your Senshi powers!"

The Zodiac Senshi looked at each other. They knew what that meant: Without every Senshi, the chance of surviving the upcoming battle would be even lower. But, if the barrier would hold them back...

Sailor Capricorn stepped forward. "I'll do it." Libra nodded. "Yes, I will do it as well." In the end, everyone of them was ready to sacrifice her power to save the kingdom."

"Excellent," Lady Zodiac smiled. "Now, put every single one of your transformation amulets into this bowl..."

The twelve Senshi all dropped their magical powers and took off the amulets that gave them their abilities. Stored within them lay not the powers of certain planets, but the power that was holding together certain star constellations. They may be further away than the planets of this solar system, but their great power made their amulets as powerful as the transformation sticks of the planetary Senshi.

As the last one put her amulet into the bowl, Lady Zodiac closed it with a lid.

"Well done, my Senshi... I will now go back to my chamber and prepare everything for the spell..."

"HOLD! IN THE NAME OF SERENITY, STOP!"

The loud voice stopped the lady in her tracks. The light of the room got switched on.

In the door of the room were standing the guardians of the princess, the Senshi of the inner planets.

"Don't trust her," Sailor Mars shouted. "She's working for Queen Beryl!"

"You dare accuse our lady of conspiring with the enemy?" Sailor Leo snarled. "Say that to my face!"

"It's the truth," Mercury added. "She isn't Lady Zodiac. We just found her dead body in her chamber. She is an impostor."

"WHAT??" most of the Zodiac Senshi gasped.

"That's right," Jupiter nodded. "I bet she's really a Youma!"

The beautiful face of Lady Zodiac turned into a diabolic grimace... her noble robes turned into rags as the Youma showed its true face.

"So, you found me out?" the creature grinned. "That doesn't matter... the Zodiac Senshi already gave me their power... Without them, the moon kingdom will be defenseless... my queen will be pleased!"

"Get her!" Venus yelled. But before the others could do anything, the bowl with the amulets vanished in a bright flash.

"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" shouted Jupiter.

The attack hit the Youma and made it scream in pain. While slowly turning into dust, it sneered at the Senshi. "It's too late... the amulets are now on Earth, scattered over it's surface. You'll never find all of them in time before the forces of my queen attack... and with almost half of the Senshi stripped off their power, the moon kingdom will fall."

And then, the Youma's face exploded in a shower of dust.

* * *

And the next day, the forces of Queen Beryl attacked... The Zodiac Senshi were armed with regular weapons, but without their powers, they were the first to fall. The planetary Senshi did their best, but to no avail.

And thus, Queen Serenity made a painful decision... to send their souls to the future, where they will be reborn...

* * *

Rei screamed as she woke up from her nightmare. Panting heavily, the Shinto priestess looked around her room.

She calmed down. Man, what a dream...

"Could it really be?" she whispered. "The Zodiac Senshi..."

* * *

"The Zodiac Senshi, huh?" Minako asked while munching on a cherry. They were sitting in the cafe and were talking about Rei's dream while eating some ice cream.

"Yes, I remember them," Luna said. "And it happened just as in Rei's dream: One of the more powerful Youma was able to sneak into the palace, by impersonating one of the guards it killed previously. No one didn't expect Queen Beryl to use such a sneaky tactic, so Lady Zodiac was totally caught off-guard."

"So, who was this Lady Zodiac, anyway?" Makoto wanted to know.

"She was the younger sister of Queen Serenity," Artemis said. "And the aunt of the princess. She had her own group of Senshi to protect her, as she didn't inherit the powers of the moon like her sister."

"Say, what are 'Zodiacs'?" Usagi asked while slurping down her sundae. "Some planets from somewhere else?"

Ami shook her head. "No, Usagi. The Zodiacs stand for several star constellations in space. In ancient times, scholars came up with mystical figures that looked similar to the constellations, and that's how they got their name. In the past, many people believed that their destinies were lying within the stars... and that their future could be somehow be predicted by watching them."

"I think those Zodiac Senshi must have been pretty gullible," Minako said while shaking her head. "Just giving away your transformation items like this? No wonder it was as easy as tart for Queen Beryl to defeat the moon kingdom."

"It's 'Easy as pie', Minako," Artemis corrected her. She shrugged. "Whatever..."

"But I wonder..." Rei murmured. "If those Senshi have died in that battle as well... have they also been reincarnated into this age?"

"I know nothing about that, I'm sorry," Luna said. "But even if that's true, we don't have their amulets. They still must be scattered all over earth, and who knows what happened to them over the time? They could be in the possession of ANYONE!"

* * *

Ranma Saotome was once again sitting on the roof and brooding. He needed some time away from his fiancees sometimes...

He took out the little locket that hung around his neck. Every time he felt a little down, he grasped it with his hand, and somehow it made him feel better.

He liked its looks. It was a small, golden shape that looked like it was a slice of a golden ring that someone separated into different parts. It had a little ring on its top, where he had slipped through a leather band to carry it around his neck. Perhaps there was once a chain or something similar, but if that was the case, it got lost a long time ago. On the surface of the little pendant, a nice picture could be seen: A stream of water that was flowing out of some kind of jar.

He found it when he and his father were in Jusenkyo. His hands had grasped it when he fell into the spring of drowned girl. He didn't even realize it until the shock of being turned into a girl had worn off. He decided to keep it as some sort of souvenir.

What he didn't know was the fact that the amulet chose its finding place by itself. The magic and the water of Jusenkyo attracted it.

For all of the Zodiac amulets were attracted to those kinds of objects that were pictured on their surfaces.

And so the amulet of Aquarius found its way to the waters of Jusenkyo, and into the possession of Ranma Saotome...

* * *

This night Ranma had some strange dream... about a girl wearing a strange fuku, inside a big palace. There were many other girls as well who were dressed similarly. But the strange thing was... Ranma was living through the whole dream as if he himself was the girl.

He wondered if that had to do with his Jusenkyo curse... Perhaps it was the girl that had drown in that spring so many years ago?

He was still thinking about that dream when he walked back to the Tendo Dojo, and therefore almost didn't notice the water that fell down from above.

He looked up, saw something falling down, freaked out and made a shooing motion with his hands, although he didn't expect the water would listen to him.

Surprisingly, it did. After he waved his hands, the splash of water made a curve and splashed down next to him, on the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman that had been watering her plants said. "I didn't see you there. Did you get wet?"

Ranma, who had expected to be turned into his female form again, blinked. He really wasn't wet. He got lucky? How did that happen?

* * *

"I found something interesting within the Mercury Computer," Ami told her friends.

It was the next day. After doing some research, they met again at the Hikawa shrine.

"I found some data regarding the Zodiac Senshi," Ami said. "According to their powers, they are not as powerful in battle as we are, but they can also use their powers to a small degree when not transformed. Also, I was able to download a special tracking program into my Mercury Visor. If some of the amulets are nearby, I should be able to find them."

"Great job, Ami," Rei cheered. "And, did you find something?"

"Yes, but only one signal: I think one of the Zodiac amulets must be in the vicinity of Nerima."

"That close?" Usagi shouted with glee. "Lucky! I'm so glad! New Senshi must mean new friends and helpers, right?"

"Don't be too sure of that," Makoto said. "Remember Galaxia and her Senshi? They weren't exactly our friends. And when we met Neptune and Uranus for the first time, they didn't really plan to help us..."

"But they changed," Usagi insisted. "There's something good in everyone, and we must find a way to help them discover their abilities."

"Wow, that was pretty wise, coming from you," Rei mocked.

Usagi sniffled. "Rei's being mean to me again..."

* * *

Ranma walked through the door. "I'm back," he called.

Kasumi looked out of the kitchen. "Welcome back, Ranma-kun. Dinner isn't quite finished yet, so why don't you sit down for a while?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, I'll do that... it has been a strange day..."

"Oh, did something happen?" Akane asked as she came down the stairs.

"Yeah, some water was falling on me... nothing unusual there... but before it hit me, it somehow moved to the side, and hit the ground. Strange, huh?"

Akane shrugged. "Must have been your imagination, I think."

Nabiki suddenly stuck her head in. "There you are, Ranma! Could you lend me a hand? I just received this package from South America, but it's pretty heavy. Could you carry it to my room?"

"Why did you receive a package from South America?" Akane wondered.

"My business transactions are of no concern to you, dear sister. I have people all over the world that like to do business with me. Let's just say I purchased some quality wares for a very good price. Ranma, if you would..."

Ranma looked at the heavy box and shrugged. "Sure, have nothing better to do..."

He carried the package up the stairs and into Nabiki's room. "There you are," he said.

"Thank you," Nabiki said. "Now if you would excuse me, I have to control the quality of my purchase."

After Ranma went down again, she took a big knife and cut open the cardboard box. "Well, my business partner assured me top quality... and with my supreme bargaining skills, I should be able to sell these wares for a much bigger price on the Japanese market."

She opened the box... and jumped back when suddenly, something dark and crawly appeared.

"GYAAAAAH," she screamed in shock.

The scorpion that was in the box looked at her and nodded. "Thank you for releasing me. I was afraid I would starve in there."

Nabiki shuddered. She knew how poisonous scorpions were, but... she never heard of a talking scorpion before. Had it already stung her and she was hallucinating from the poison?

The scorpion looked at her closer. "Ah, so you must be Sailor Scorpio. Yes, it must have been destiny that brought this package to your home... Oh, excuse me: I am one the Zodiac Senshi's advisors, call me Sting!"

"Sailor...? Zodiac...? Sting...? What are you talking about?" muttered Nabiki.

The scorpion sighed. "Oh, right... you must regain your memories of the Silver Millennium first. Well, it's not so bad, trust me."

Nabiki stood up. Okay, maybe that scorpion wasn't a hallucination... "Okay, stop! Tell me: Who are you, how can you talk and what is this talk about a 'Sailor Scorpio'? The last time I heard, the Sailor Senshi were named after the solar system's planets."

"Yes, but not the Zodiac Senshi," explained Sting. "I came here all the way from where the Scorpio amulet was hidden, so you would come and get it. I really had a hard time doing all these business transactions with you, you know? I mean, using a computer's keyboard is not easy for a scorpion."

"You want to tell me that all I bought was a tiny little SCORPION? Oh, come on... And what did you do with my money I transferred to that bank account?"

"Oh, I donated it to a children's home. It's for a good deed, after all."

"I don't believe this..." Nabiki mumbled. "And how can you be sure that I am your 'Sailor Scorpio'? After all, there are many other girls living in Nerima that could be her."

"I recognize your energy signature," the scorpion said, waving his tail around. "In fact..." he closed his eyes. "I can feel that there are at least four other Zodiac Senshi around that have to learn about their destinies."

* * *

Ranma lay on the couch, dozing off. Akane walked past him. "I'll be right back, I just have to get something from the market for Kasumi."

"Okay," Ranma mumbled with closed eyes. "But don't mistake the salt for the sugar again."

Akane frowned. "Ranma no baka," she grumbled before leaving.

Ranma relaxed, until a shadow was cast upon his body.

"Boy, how can you just lie there and do nothing? Don't you have anything better to do? Use your free time to practice. Didn't I teach you to devote yourself to the arts?"

'Oh boy,' Ranma thought with a sigh. 'Pops is ranting again. I wish he would turn into a panda so he would shut up.'

And he imagined how the koi pond's water would splash his father, just so it would be quiet.

"Ranma, are you listening? You have to..." SPLASH!

The panda looked back at the koi pond in confusion. He held up a sign: 'Now how did that happen?'

* * *

"MEEEOOOOOW!"

Luna screeched in panic as she fled from the mob of cat bullies. She was only quietly prowling through Nerima, to see if she could find the Zodiac amulet, but then this big pack of cats had to attack her... AGAIN! What did she do to deserve this...?

When Akane passed around the corner, she just saw a black cat being chased by a large mob of angry cats. She got angry. "Hey!" She shouted. "All against one? That's not fair! Stop it, right now!"

Surprisingly, the cats obeyed.

Akane blinked, but then glared at the cats. "Good! Now, I want you to turn around and walk back where you came from, got it?"

The cat bullies nodded, turned around and left.

Akane blinked again. "Wow," she said. "I must have really intimidated them..."

She picked up the confused cat and held her. "Don't worry, kitty! The bad cats are gone. Oooh, you have some nasty wounds there. I'll better take you home, so Kasumi can take a look at you."

Luna just stared at the girl's forehead.

'Sailor Leo?' she wondered.

* * *

While walking home, Akane was passing Ucchan's.

Ukyo came out when she saw her sometimes-rival, sometimes-friend. "Akane? What's up?"

Akane showed her the injured Luna. "Here, this little kitty was all beaten up by a pack of other cats. I'm taking her home so Kasumi can take a look at her wounds."

"Oh, poor thing," Ukyo said. She took a look herself. "Dang, a wound at her right foreleg AND her right hind leg? That must have been some fight..."

'Poor cat,' Ukyo thought. 'I wish I could help her somehow...'

"Ouch," Ukyo shouted. Akane looked up. "What's wrong?" Then she saw the nasty cut on Ukyo's arm. "Oh, you're injured as well? Perhaps Kasumi should take a look at you, too."

Ukyo looked at her arm. "Yeah, perhaps..."

'That's strange', she thought. 'I can't remember cutting me there.'

Luna looked at her own wounds. Her hind leg was still cut, but the wound on her foreleg had vanished.

She looked at the seconds girl's forehead. 'Sailor Libra?'

* * *

When they came home, Akane shooed Ranma out of the room, so he wouldn't panic when he saw Luna. Then she called for Kasumi. When she came out of the kitchen, Akane showed her the cat. "Kasumi, you know how to treat wounds, right? Here, this little cat got beaten up and received some cuts. Oh, and Ukyo has a cut as well, on her arm."

"Oh, Ukyo, you must be more careful. Oh, poor kitty! Let Kasumi take a look at you..."

'What a nice girl,' Luna thought as Kasumi took care of her wound.

When a giant panda entered the room, Luna began to panic.

'Whaaah! A wild animal! Run!' her brain was telling her.

"Now, calm down there, kitty! Uncle Saotome won't hurt you, okay? So hold still so I can take a good look at you."

An aura of calm and peace surrounded the girl, and Luna felt herself relax. What a nice feeling...

She looked up as the girl bent down to look at her wound. 'Sailor Virgo...?'


	2. The Zodiac Pendulum

Sailor Mercury was running through the streets, following the signal of the Zodiac Amulet.

When suddenly, someone screamed: "HELP! A monster!"

'Not again', Mercury sighed. With all these monsters running around in Juuban, she was somehow not surprised that this was the same in Nerima.

She followed the screams, while quickly scanning the area for evil energy.

"There IS some form of energy up ahead, and it's clearly magical," she murmured. "Let's see if it's also evil..."

* * *

The young woman was running away in fear as the giant, humanoid, winged bull (with an eel as a tail) came towards her.

"Help me! It's gonna eat me!"

'Stupid woman,' Taro wanted to say. 'I only want to know if you know something about Happosai!'

But, in this form, he could only let out unintelligible growls.

Mercury came past the corner when the woman fled, and she spotted the colossal form of the cursed martial artist.

"A Youma," she gasped.

Taro sweat-dropped when he recognized one of the Senshi. 'Why, oh just why do they have to confuse me with a Youma EVERY time they see me?'

Ami pulled out her communication device, but Taro quickly ran towards her and snatched it out of her hand.

Ami gasped as the monster threw her communicator up to the roof of the closest building.

'There! Now the others won't come and bug me as well,' he smirked.

He was going to leave, but Ami stepped into his way. "Stop right there, Youma! I may not be as strong as Mars or Jupiter... but I won't let you go and threaten peaceful citizens again."

'Damn those gals and their speeches... Well, if she wants a fight, she gets one!'

He growled and threw a mighty punch at Mercury. The Senshi of ice and water yelped and jumped aside. The mighty fist of the beast left a deep impact crater in the street's asphalt.

* * *

Ranma had just stepped outside, when he heard someone scream something about a monster. He sighed. Did this have to happen before he was eating?

Well, if he hurried, it would probably be over before Kasumi served dinner.

He jumped over the fence and started running.

* * *

Nabiki looked out of the window and saw Ranma jumping over the fence.

Sting jumped next to her. For a scorpion, he surely had powerful hind legs. "What a pity that you still haven't your amulet," he said. "Or you would be able to help Sailor Aquarius!"

Nabiki stared at him. "Say WHAT?"

* * *

Mercury wanted to use her Shabon Spray, so the Youma would lose track of her.

Sadly, she had to dodge all the time to avoid his powerful punches, so she had no time to use it.

Suddenly, a loud yell could be heard: "Hey Taro! Leave the girl alone, ya hear me?"

Taro turned around. Great! Fem-boy... As if his day wasn't screwed up enough... He growled menacingly at Ranma.

"Dunno what you meant with that, but I won't let you pound helpless girls around, got it?"

Mercury was clearly bothered by this. Helpless girl?

'Stay out of this, fem-boy,' Taro wanted to say, but it came out as a deafening "Moooo!"

"Don't say I didn't warn ya," Ranma smirked and jumped at the bull-creature.

Taro blocked Ranma's kick and reacted with a flurry of punches. 'Don't underestimate me, fem-boy,' he thought. 'I've gotten better since our last fight...'

'Dammit,' Ranma thought. 'How did he become that quick? Perhaps I should change into my girl form, I'm much faster that way...'

Ranma jumped back and looked around. 'Great, once you need water, there's none around... If I could just call it to me...'

A startled housewife yelped when the water she was just using to wash her dishes flew out of the window of her apartment.

Ranma grinned as he felt some water splash on his, now her head. 'Hey, that's better...' She cracked her knuckles. "Okay, Taro! Bring it on!"

Taro let out a mighty 'Mooo' and charged the trans-gendered martial artist.

"Let's see if you're quick enough to counter this... KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"

Taro groaned as he got pummeled by the chestnut fist. 'Time to get out of here,'he thought and looked upwards. On the building on the other side of the street, he could see a big billboard. 'Perfect!' He flew up, towards the billboard. When he was in front of the building, he hit it with a powerful punch.

Mercury was startled by Ranma's transformation, but now she had something else to worry about. "Oh no," she gasped. "The billboard is about to crash!"

That's right, by punching the wall, Taro had caused the billboard to tilt and slowly fall over. Several passengers who were in front of the building didn't realize the danger.

"Damn you, Taro," Ranma snarled and started running. But she had the feeling she wouldn't make it in time...

Taro used the distraction to fly away safely.

And while Ranma saw how the billboard was tilting even more, a voice behind her shouted: "Shine Aqua Illusion!"

A jet of cold water shot over her head, hit the billboard and coated it with thick ice.

Ranma let out a sigh of relief. The billboard was frozen in place, the people were safe... for now.

"Hey, you better get out of here," she shouted. "Take a look upwards." As the people realized the danger they had been in, they quickly left.

Ranma turned around and grinned at Sailor Mercury. "Hey, good work!"

Mercury nodded... but then she gasped and screamed: "LOOK OUT!"

Ranma looked up. The ice coating had started to melt in the sun, and the billboard once again was tilting... and then it cracked off its hinges and fell down... towards Ranma!

"Shine Aqua Illusion," Mercury shouted again, but she had the feeling that her attack wouldn't be enough to stop the falling billboard.

And Ranma acted solely on instinct. A voice deep inside her told her what to do... So she grasped the amulet around her neck and shouted:

"AQUARIUS ZODIAC POWER, MAKE UP!"

A bright light and a cascade of water surrounded her as the Senshi magic turned her clothes into a Sailor Fuku with a light blue skirt.

Sailor Aquarius acted on instinct again: "Liquid Control!" The freezing water attack of Mercury was still flying through the air at that time, so Aquarius used her powers to redirect it... towards her own body.

Coating her body with a thick armor of ice, Sailor Aquarius became a living pillar of ice that smashed right through the falling billboard.

CRASH!

The billboard broke apart in a shower of debris and ice shards.

Mercury gasped. That girl... boy... whatever... was one of the Zodiac Senshi? And she controlled her own water attack?

Ranma looked around. Her ice armor got cracked, but she didn't even get a scratch.

"Wow..." she murmured as she looked down at her fuku.

"I really look stupid in that thing."

Mercury sweat-dropped.

* * *

Kasumi smiled as she put the final bandage on Luna's leg. "There, as good as new."

Luna looked at Kasumi's work approvingly and meowed a thanks.

Kasumi looked up as Nabiki came down the stairs. "Oh, Nabiki! Dinner is almost ready. I had to take care of a little problem first, though..."

Nabiki groaned. "Everyone, we have a guest..."

"Oh, that's nice!" Kasumi looked around. "Um, where is he?"

Nabiki pointed to her shoulder. "Up there!"

Akane yelped. "Nabiki, that's..."

"A scorpion!" Nabiki nodded. "Thank you sis, I already knew."

"Be careful! It might sting you!"

"Let me at him," Ukyo said and raised her battle spatula. "I'll smack him into the ground!"

Sting sweat-dropped. "You have become pretty violent since you got reincarnated, Libra..."

Akane and Ukyo stared. "It talks?" Akane murmured.

"Why did he call me 'Libra'?" Ukyo murmured.

Kasumi just smiled. "Oh, nice to meet you, scorpion-san! Would you like some tea?"

"Thank you," Sting replied. "But no, thanks! But if you had a little water..."

"Ill get you some," Kasumi said and brought him a bowl with water from the kitchen. She put it onto the table. "Here you are!"

Sting jumped down from Nabiki's shoulder and greedily slurped down the water. Ukyo fought her impulse of smacking him with her spatula. She just didn't like critters with more than four legs.

All the time, Luna had stared at the scorpion. When Sting looked up, he finally saw her. "Oh, hi there, Luna! Nice to see you again!"

Luna groaned. "Sting..." she whispered. "You stupid dolt... we're supposed to keep our identities secret."

Ukyo put a hand on her face. "Riiiight..." she muttered. "Now the cats start talking as well... I think I'm a case for the psychiatrist..."

"Oh, don't worry, Luna," Sting said after slurping some water. "They're four of the Zodiac Senshi... in their reincarnated form."

"I already guessed it," Luna moaned. "Leo, Libra and Virgo, right? And, if I'm not mistaken... Scorpio?"

"Yup, you got it!"

"Wait a minute," Ukyo intervened. "We're no Senshi!"

"Oh, really?" Sting chuckled. "Didn't you use your balance powers somehow? But I think it looks like you have the same wound as Luna had before... pure coincidence, eh?"

Ukyo gasped and looked at her bandaged arm. "You mean... I used some special powers to heal her?"

"Not exactly healing, I think," Luna explained. "I think you just balanced out our health by removing one of my wounds and giving it to you..."

"Excuse me," Nabiki pointed out. "But if it is supposed to be a secret that we are Senshi, why are you talking about it in front of Daddy and Mr. Saotome?"

They all looked over to the man and panda who were playing Shogi.

"Don't mind us," Soun mumbled. "We're just going to finish this game, and afterwards we'll pretend nothing happened."

Genma held up a sign. 'Happened? What happened? I didn't see a thing! Especially not a scorpion talking to a cat...'

Luna blinked. "Those people... are weird."

* * *

"So, you're ready to help us?" Sailor Moon asked in a hopeful voice. After Ranma had recovered Mercury's communicator from the rooftop, she had contacted her and the other Senshi.

Ranma sighed. She really thought this fuku looked silly, but she just couldn't resist Usagi's puppy-dog-eyes. Besides, fighting for something good sounded... well, good.

"Okay, count me in," she finally said. "If I'm really a reincarnated Senshi, then I guess it's my duty to find the other ones, huh?"

"That's the spirit," Jupiter cheered. "And we'll help you find the others and their amulets."

* * *

When Ranma went back to the Dojo, most of the original Senshi decided to go home for now, as the Dojo would be surely crowded if they all were coming. So only Ami and Usagi came along.

When Ranma came through the door, Nabiki was already waiting for her. "Took you long enough, Saotome," she said in a cool voice. "And you are...?"

"Um... Ami Mizuno," the blue-haired girl replied.

"Hi there, I'm Usagi Tsukino," shouted the cheerful blonde.

Nabiki chuckled. "Usagi, eh? I believe we have something that belongs to you..." And she pointed inside.

Usagi looked past her and saw a black cat with a bandaged hind leg lying on the couch. "LUNA," she shouted and scooped up her royal advisor. "Luna, thank goodness you're alright, I was soooo worried!"

"Well, you certainly are late," Akane snickered. "Is that any way to keep fellow Senshi waiting?"

Ranma scratched her head. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Um, you don't mean..." Ami started.

Nabiki grinned. "Sailor Aquarius, meet fellow Sailors Leo, Libra, Virgo... and last but not least, Sailor Scorpio. That would be me!"

Ranma was baffled. "Akane? Nabiki? Kasumi? Ucchan? How?"

Kasumi giggled. "A little scorpion told us."

From the table, the small shape of Sting was waving with his scissors. "Howdy!"

Luna grinned. "Everyone, meet Sting! A friend of mine from the Silver Millennium!"

"Luna, you have some weird tastes," Usagi murmured.

* * *

After a while, they all sat down around the table while Kasumi was serving dinner. As before, the two fathers just pretended nothing would be out of the ordinary.

As Soun's motto was: Ignore the weirdness, and maybe the weirdness will ignore you.

Luna spoke up: "Well, at least we know the whereabouts of five Zodiac Senshi, and they all are willing to help us... but the problem is, most of them still don't have their amulets."

"That's true," Ami nodded. "And we have no idea where we should search first."

"Um, if I may..." Sting raised his scissors. "I DO know where Sailor Scorpio's amulet is... After all, I was guarding it for all these times. Only when I realized that my old partner had to be reincarnated by now, I started to take action. I left it behind in a certain valley in Brazil, well hidden... So I'm pretty sure it's still there."

"You just left it behind?" Nabiki asked in a disapproving voice. "Not very reliable, I must say..."

"Hey, I had to do something to reawaken your memories... and I can only do that if you have your amulet. So I had to get you to Brazil somehow."

"So you just sold yourself and a big pile of rocks to the reincarnated version of your old partner per internet and travelled to Japan in a big cardboard box? Great plan..." Luna groaned.

"But how are we going to get to Brazil?" Usagi wondered. "I mean, Africa is pretty far away, isn't it?"

Ami wasn't the only one to sweat-drop. "Usagi, Brazil is in South America, not in Africa..."

"Well, a journey to Brazil for several people won't be very cheap..." Akane sighed. "Hey, Nabiki, do you have...?"

"Forget it," Nabiki grumbled. "Have no more Yen. All invested in a certain dull-witted crustacean..."

"Hey!" Sting sounded offended.

"Guys, that's not our only problem," Ukyo spoke up. "Remember? Akane, Kasumi and I don't even know where our amulets are."

"Well, that won't be much of a problem," Sting said. He waved around his tail... and out of nowhere, a small item appeared.

Usagi giggled. "Luna can do that too."

Ranma picked it up. It was a little quartz crystal, attached to a string. "What's that?"

"That's the Zodiac Pendulum," Sting explained. "Whenever a Zodiac Senshi is separated from her amulet, she can use this to find it... all we need is a world map. The respective Senshi has to take the pendulum, let it hang down over the map, and spin it around. It will point to the place where her amulet is being hidden."

"Lemme try it," Nabiki said. She took the pendulum from Ranma and fetched a world map. She opened it and twirled the pendulum around.

After spinning for a while, it stopped and pointed directly at Brazil.

"Well, whaddya say?" Ukyo grinned. "It works! Gimme! I wanna try!"

She snatched it out of Nabiki's hand.

"Careful, children, that's no toy," Sting scolded them.

Ukyo didn't listen. She used the pendulum, and waited until it stopped.

"It's pointing towards Scotland," she said in a surprised voice.

"I see it already, this will be a long journey all over the world," Luna groaned.

Afterwards, Kasumi and Akane used the pendulum as well. According to it, the Leo Amulet was somewhere in Germany and the Virgo Amulet in California in the United States.

"We reeaaaally don't have enough money for such a long trip," said Akane.

"Maybe we should ask Setsuna," Luna said to Ami. "She always has a lot of money, perhaps she can help us."

"The Outer Senshi are not home," Ami sighed. "Setsuna didn't tell me where they went, but she said something about a 'vacation'."

"And they took Hotaru-chan with them?" Luna wondered. "Strange... I wonder what's going on. It's not like them just to leave like this..."

Suddenly, Usagi grinned. "Don't worry, I've got a great idea how we can get some money..."

* * *

Mamoru Chiba grinned as he looked at his bank account. He never had that much Yen before.

But he sure had been lucky... last week, he got the message that he won the lottery jackpot... and he only did play because he had some spare money to spend, just for fun.

He began dreaming of what he was going to buy with all that money... perhaps a brand-new sports car? He chuckled. Motoki would be sooo jealous...

Suddenly, the phone rang and pulled him out of his daydreams.

He picked up. "Chiba?"

"Oooooh Mamo-chaaaaaan," a sweet voice called though the phone.

"Hey, Usako, what's up," he replied cheerfully, while on the inside, he already prepared for the worst... if Usagi used that tone of voice, it usually meant she wanted something from him.

"I have a biiiiig favor I wanna ask of you... You just won all that money from the lottery, riiiight?"

He gulped. "Y-yes, why do you ask?"

"Weeeeell, we just found out that there are some other Senshi and we need to find their transformation amulets. Problem is: They're scattered aaaaall over the world. And we have no money... so, pretty pretty pretty please, could you pay for our journeys, pleeeeaaaaase?"

"But... but..." Mamoru stuttered.

"OOOOOOH PUH-LEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE?"

Mamoru sighed. "Of course, Usako... if it's thaaaat important..."

"Oh THANK YOU, Mamo-chan, thank you, thank you, thaaaaank yoouuuu!"

Mamoru whined. So much about a brand-new sports car...

* * *

While Ranma and the girls were having dinner, Happosai was hiding under the ceiling of the room, all the while listening to the talk of the gathered Senshi.

'So, Ranma and the gals are Senshi, eh?' he mused. 'Well, doesn't matter... as long as they show me where those amulets are hidden...'

He smiled when he remembered how he found an ancient text inside the old cave. It was written that the one who gathered all of the Zodiac Amulets would be granted a wish... and Happi knew exactly what he would wish...

'Ooooh, a world where the beautiful girls don't mind that I take a look at their wonderful bodies, clad only in the most glorious underwear... that would be the most noble of all wishes...'

And think about it... When would he get the chance of seeing the Senshi that close? Those lovely fukus... those short skirts... Yum yum...

If he just knew that these amulets were actually the items they used to transform... perhaps he would start to get doubts about the parchment he found...

* * *

"I think we should split up," Ami suggested. "That way we can save time. I think at least one of the original Senshi should be paired up with one of the new Zodiac Senshi... especially because they still can't transform, so their powers are still a little low..."

"Well, Ami always has the best ideas, so I'm for it," Usagi smiled.

"Okay, we'll tell the others, and then we can arrange who is going to be whose travel companion," Luna said.

"Okay," Ranma said. "Sounds good..."

Luna looked at him. "Ranma... why are your eyes closed?" When she thought about it, he had his eyes closed for almost the whole time they were here. Only when he took a look at the pendulum, he had opened them.

Ranma gulped. "B-b-because this way I can try to convince myself that you aren't a c-c-c... a c-c-c..."

Luna sweat-dropped. "What, you're bothered by the fact that I'm a ca..."

"NO!" Ranma nearly screamed. "Don't say the word!!"

"What's wrong with him?" Sting asked in a curious voice.

Akane shook her head. "It's sad, somehow... You know, Ranma has a very big problem with... you know... THAT kind of animal." She pointed to Luna. "He's deadly afraid of them. And I think he's trying to control his fear by imagining Luna as a human girl."

"Oh, Ranma..." Luna sighed. "If you're that afraid, you should have said something. I could have left the room."

"N-n-no, it's all right..." Ranma stuttered, still with closed eyes. "How can I be a defender of the planet if I can't even endure being in a room with a c... with a ca... you know?"

Sting chuckled nervously. "Don't tell him that Venus' advisor is a cat as well..."

"WHAAAAAH!" Ranma freaked and ran out of the room.

Luna stared at the scorpion. "Sting, you really need to learn when to shut up..."

* * *

Among the many people standing and walking in the waiting hall of the airport, the ten teenagers felt pretty cramped. Luna and Artemis were pretty ticked off when they realized they had to travel in the cargo area of the planes, and Sting... well, they had to hide him, because no one of them was too sure if it was legal to take scorpions with them.

The previous day, they all had met in the Shrine of Rei's grandfather, and Rei, Makoto and Minako met the new Senshi for the first time. Artemis and Luna decided to stay hidden, because of Ranma's fear. Because of this reason, Ranma wouldn't join one of the teams they would accompany.

Mamoru had decided to come along as well, so they still had to wait for him. After some time, Usagi saw him walking towards them through the crowd.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. Usagi forgave him. She introduced her new friends to her boyfriend and afterwards, they all got ready to leave for their flights.

Of course, Nabiki and Sting would fly to Brazil together.

But... who would come along with them?


	3. The Scorpio Amulet

A small town in Brazil... Narrow streets, small, dirty buildings, salesmen offering their wares on the street and many, many people...

Two Japanese girls were busy trying to find a way through this crowd.

"Well this town is the closest spot civilization has to offer before we reach the valley Sting spoke of," Nabiki said.

Rei looked at the many souvenir stands and sighed. "I'd love to bring home a souvenir for grandpa," she murmured.

"Rei, this is no vacation, we are no tourists." Nabiki reminded her.

Rei looked at her travel companion darkly. "Okay, okay, I got it." She really didn't like the attitude of that girl. At first she didn't mind going with her, she always wanted to go to South America for some time...

But already when they were sitting next to each other aboard the plane, Rei started to regret her decision. Nabiki was always so... cold, it seemed. Always all business, never talking about her friends or what she did in her free time...

When Rei had her prophetic dream and realized that there might be several more Senshi, she was somehow glad, because she hoped that they would become good friends with each other... When Rei learned of her own destiny as a Senshi, she was happy. With Usagi and Ami, she finally had friends who understood her. And when Makoto and Minako joined the team, it got even better. They always had something to laugh about. Minako always managed to cheer her up. Ami always was there for the others if they needed help. Makoto was a great cook as well as a great friend. And Usagi... well, Rei loved to tease Usagi, but both girls really liked each other, so it was just for fun.

But this Nabiki... Rei just couldn't imagine how someone could ever like someone with such a COLD attitude.

"Are we finally there?" Rei asked impatiently.

"Only a few more streets," Nabiki replied.

Sting looked out of the little bag that was hanging around Nabiki's body. "You know, I really don't know if I can describe the exact way for you. I walked through the jungle on my own, and it took me days until I reached civilization."

"That's exactly the point," Nabiki said. "We're going to charter a small airplane to reach this valley of yours. If we were to travel on foot, it would take too much time... Ah, this must be it."

They reached the outskirts of town. Next to a small building, a big hangar was situated, complete with maneuvering area. Jutting out of the hangar was the propeller of a small airplane that looked like it came out of a museum.

In front of the small house, a big, blonde man was lying in a hammock and snored.

Rei looked at him doubtfully. "And that's supposed to be the best pilot around here?"

"That's what they told me," Nabiki shrugged. "After all, it's the only plane in town, so I think we have no choice."

She approached the man and coughed. "Um... excuse me, please?"

The man stopped snoring. He blinked, looked around and asked: "Huh? Did someone call my name?"

"Um... yes, sir, we did. We heard you would offer flights into the jungle... and we would like to charter your plane."

"Oh, sure," the man grinned and jumped out of his hammock. "When you need to fly somewhere, Larry Hawkins is your man."

"Well, Mr. Hawkins..."

The man smiled. "Please, call me 'Falcon'!"

Nabiki blinked. "Umm, sure! Well, we need to get to this valley..." She pointed to it on their map.

'Falcon' looked around. "Where? I don't see anything..."

'Oh man,' Rei thought. 'What's wrong with that guy?'

Nabiki pushed the map closer to his face. "THIS valley!" she repeated and put her finger on it. "Can you bring us there?"

"Oh, I see now. Of course, I can bring you everywhere. But you know... it's not gonna be cheap... You saw the price list hanging at the wall?"

"We know," sighed Nabiki and pulled out her wallet. "We have enough money for the trip, don't worry."

"Money?" Falcon asked and looked around. "Where is it... OUCH!" In his confusion, he ran against one of the trees his hammock was hanging from.

'And that guy calls himself 'Falcon'?' Rei shook her head. 'He's blinder than a mole...'

Falcon took the money from Nabiki. He snickered. "Well then, ladies... please come this way."

He led them to the small plane. It really looked like a wreck. It was covered in rust, and the front window had a big crack.

Rei had a real bad feeling about this. "Shouldn't we find another way to get there?" she asked.

"Well, we already payed for it," Nabiki said. "And I'm not willing to waste it." She stuffed their backpacks into the plane and got in.

Rei sighed and followed her fellow Senshi, preparing herself for the worst.

When they all had fastened their seat belts, Falcon tried to start the engine. The airplane gurgled and banged a few times.

"Well, Scrappy?" he said to his machine. "Why don't you finally start up?"

The engine coughed a few more times. Falcon angrily hammered onto his console. "Dammit, start already, you worthless piece of scrap metal!"

After another loud bang, the engine finally came to life. Falcon smirked at his two passengers. "See? A little cajoling is all that's needed."

And after rolling to the very end of the small airport's maneuvering place, the plane called Scrappy finally rose into the air.

'Oh my god,' Rei thought in a panic. 'We're gonna die, we're gonna die...'

* * *

'Falcon' was really only the nickname of the pilot whose parents once came to Brazil from Kansas, United States of America... In reality, his eyesight was worse than that of Mousse when he didn't wear his glasses.

But for some reason, Larry Hawkins always was blessed with very good luck... he always managed to land his plane safely... even if all of his passengers swore to themselves to never fly again with that guy.

Rei had similar thoughts as they were flying over the Amazonian jungle in Brazil... The plane called 'Scrappy' was always tilting like it was drunk, and every now and then the engine would let loose with a loud bang, accompanied by a big, black cloud that came out of it's backside.

"I'm afraid I miscalculated the flying distance between town and your valley..." Falcon suddenly mumbled. "I'm afraid we're out of fuel... I'm afraid we have to land."

"What a surprise," Rei mumbled. After sending a quick prayer to heaven, she asked: "Is there any place where we can land?"

"Don't worry," the pilot said while looking closely, VERY closely for such a place. "I know there is a small village of natives nearby... I'm sure we can land there. Hey, maybe they've even got some fuel."

After several minutes, Falcon suddenly gestured downwards. "There! There's the village!"

"Thank you," Rei grumbled. "I already saw it 5 minutes ago..."

"Please sit down and fasten your seat belts, we're about to laaaand..."

And while shouting 'laaaand', the plane suddenly dropped down from the sky like a rock... at least that's what it felt like to the two girls from Japan.

Nabiki and Rei screamed while the ground came closer and closer, and suddenly, with another loud 'bang' of Scrappy, the plane made a small 'jump' in mid-air, touched the ground briefly, bounced up again and got stopped by a big tree.

Falcon turned around in his seat and grinned. "See?" He snickered. "I told ya I would bring you down safely."

After getting out of the plane, Rei quietly asked Nabiki: "Um, I hate to ask, but... Do you mind if, once this is all over, we return to town on foot?"

"I'm starting to believe that would be much safer," mumbled Nabiki. She was still holding her stomach after that drop from the skies.

While Falcon was busy with his plane, several of the tribespeople approached them. An old man smiled and stepped forward.

"Welcome to our village," he said in heavily accented English. When he saw their surprised faces, he laughed. "Yes, I admit it's unusual for people of such a village to speak English... but several years ago, a man from the northern continent visited our village and stayed here for a while. He taught us to speak his language."

Rei, who also spoke a little English, asked him: "Excuse me, but we are searching for a certain valley. Do you know of one that is nearby?"

The old man's face paled when he heard that. "The only valley you can mean is north of here, only a day's travel on foot... But, let me give you some advice: Don't go there! Scorpion Valley it is called, translated from our language. It is a place of horror, where no one ever came back from. Even the bravest men from our village don't go there. I warn you, don't go!"

Nabiki and Rei exchanged a quick glance. "Scorpion Valley, huh?" Nabiki asked.

"This has to be the valley Sting meant," Rei nodded.

She turned back to the old man. "I'm sorry, but it is very important for us to get there. I'm afraid we cannot tell you everything about our motivations, but we came all this way to find something that must be hidden there."

The old man sighed and nodded. "I understand... I respect your decision and won't stop you on your way... although I will fear for your safety. Please, accept our hospitality and stay in our village for the night... we will give you something to eat, and if you like, you can use one of our boats to travel on the river tomorrow. You will reach the valley much quicker that way."

Rei bowed. "I thank you and we accept your generous offer."

When the old man told his people to prepare everything for their guests, Nabiki looked at Rei. "Wow, you surely have a good way of dealing with people." She sounded impressed.

Rei smiled. "Thanks, but I think that's part of being a Shinto priestess... I have much contact with the people who visit our temple, you know?"

* * *

That evening, Rei and Nabiki were eating with the old man (the village's elder) and his family. Falcon was still working on his 'Scrappy', but the girls didn't really miss his company.

"You know, it's really nice to have guests in our small village after such a long time," the elder smiled. "Just yesterday, another small group of travellers came through here. They also were searching for the valley. Perhaps you know them?"

"Other people were looking for Scorpion Valley?" Rei wondered. "Now that's strange..."

Quietly, Nabiki whispered to her: "You don't suppose those guys... whoever they are... know something about the Zodiac Amulet, do you?"

Sting looked out of his bag. "Who knows? There could be several people that would like to harm the Sailor Senshi... perhaps some evil beings that somehow learned of the amulets?"

Nabiki quickly pushed Sting back and closed the bag. "I thought I told you to stay in there... Do you think those nice people will still help us if they see a talking scorpion?"

"Sorry, ma'am," came the muffled voice of the slow-witted scorpion.

* * *

The next morning, the two girls got up early, when it still was not too hot. As the village elder promised, they got food and a boat to travel along the river. The elder also warned them of dangerous animals, like jaguars or caimans.

Rei wasn't too worried about them. She faced Youmas, Cardians and Daimons before, wild animals wouldn't be a problem. Nabiki, on the other hand...

The mercenary girl almost never had left Tokyo before... everything that needed to be done, she could do from home, at her computer. She had her gang of 'subordinates', and no one in school ever dared of crossing her way.

But now she had to enter one of the biggest, hottest and most dangerous forests in the world. So it was no surprise that she got a little... nervous.

While they paddled their little canoe downstream, Nabiki was always on edge, all the time looking into the thicket growing next to the big Amazon river.

"Calm down," Rei finally said. "You're in no danger. If a dangerous animal appears, I just transform and try to scare it away with some fire. Besides, shouldn't you be able to use some of your powers even when not transformed?"

"Perhaps, but I didn't try it until now," Nabiki replied. "I don't even know what powers I have..."

Rei thought about that. "Well, Akane was somehow able to stop those cats from hurting Luna... perhaps you can control scorpions and other crabs?"

"Scorpions aren't crabs," Sting called out of his bag, a little offended. "We are more like spiders... like insects, but not quite..."

"Well, then perhaps I can get those mosquitoes to leave me alone," Nabiki said while swatting one of the flying pests with the rolled up map. The mosquitoes were flying all around their little boat, trying to suck their blood. Luckily they had their Malaria shots before leaving...

After some time, Rei gestured over to the shore. "There! Those look like canoes, similar to ours. Those guys that were in the village must have gotten boats as well. Looks like they went ashore over there."

"Maybe," Nabiki answered. "Perhaps Scorpion Valley is nearby... Should we debark here as well?"

"Hey, I think I recognize this part of the river," Sting said excitedly. "See that knobby tree? I recognize it, I was here shortly after I left the valley. We're almost there, I know it."

"I really hope those people are no enemies," Nabiki sighed as they steered their canoe towards the shore. "I still can't help you in a fight, and if they are four, and you have to fight them alone..."

"Don't worry," Rei said. "It will all work out somehow."

Nabiki groaned. How can that girl be so confident?

* * *

They carefully waded through the thicket of the rainforest, always keeping an eye open for dangers.

Rei was amazed. "Just look at all those colorful flowers and pretty birds... Wow, just seeing those made the journey worthwhile..."

Nabiki twitched as she looked up and saw a snake as thick as her arm resting on a branch. "I still prefer going to the zoological or botanical garden to see those," she murmured. "Are we there already?"

"Just a little longer," Sting said. "We're almost there."

And suddenly, they stepped out of the thicket and saw an amazing sight before them.

A deep, bowl-shaped crater was situated in the landscape, filled with the rainforest's flora. It was almost as wide as all of Nerima together. And floating over the valley was some strange sort of hazy mist, a big cloud that shrouded it in mystery...

"This is it," Sting whispered. "I'm home: Scorpion Valley..."

"What's up with that mist?" Rei wondered and looked at the cloud. Nabiki shrugged.

"I guess it's just some gases coming out of the ground," Sting speculated. "I really don't know, but they've always been there. Don't worry, they're not poisonous... but they make my home something special, don't you think?"

Rei looked down into the valley. "Well, it's certainly filled with all kinds of colorful plants... If it wasn't for that spooky mist, it would almost look like a paradise."

"Hey, let's not forget why we're here," Nabiki spoke up. "We still have to find my amulet, right? So let's hurry before those guys find it before us."

"Killjoy..." Rei muttered and followed the middle Tendo girl as she went down a slope.

* * *

After descending into the valley, Nabiki and Rei couldn't help but feeling a little nervous. Under that misty cloud, everything looked a little gloomy, and while the thicket was not as thick as previously, it was like someone, or something, was watching them.

How true...

'Intruders... show them your power, my precious darlings...'

"Did you say something?" Nabiki asked Rei. The Shinto priestess shook her head.

"We have to hurry," Sting said. "The place where I hid the amulet is close by."

The girls nodded and followed the directions Sting gave them.

They passed several beautiful flowers. "Look at that big orchid," Rei said. "If Setsuna were here... One of her hobbies is growing flowers... when she doesn't watch the Time Gates..."

Nabiki didn't respond. Instead, she screamed:

"AAAAAAAAAHH!"

Rei turned around. "What's wrong?"

Nabiki was sweating. "A... a... scorpion..."

Sting sweat-dropped. "Nabiki, you don't have to be alarmed. Scorpions like me normally only sting humans when they are scared. Don't hurt him, and he won't hurt you."

"But... but... this scorpion I just saw was big. I mean, REALLY big!"

"Nabiki, you have to stop being such a scared crybaby!" Rei had lost her temper. "The world is harsh, and not everyone can hide all the time at home, where it's safe. Face reality!"

THAT got Nabiki mad. "What did you say? You better take that back, or else..."

"Or else what?" Rei shot back. "We're not in Nerima, Nabiki. This is the Amazonian jungle... how are you planning to intimidate me?"

"Um, girls..." Sting called weakly.

"WHAT??" they both shouted.

He pointed upwards.

The girls looked up... and looked right into the face of the biggest, ugliest scorpion they ever saw.

And it was at least as big as a horse... no, make that an elephant.

"WHAAAAAAH!" they shouted and ran away just in time as the monster growled and tried to get them with his pincers.

"Do you believe me NOW?" Nabiki yelled as they hid behind a big tree.

"I'm sorry," Rei shouted. "But I couldn't really know that you meant THAT big, right?"

They yelped as a big, black pincer suddenly cut down several thick branches next to them.

"Do something," Rei screamed. "You're supposed to be Sailor Scorpio, aren't you? Well, make him leave!"

Nabiki tried. "Uh... hey, leave us alone! Get lost! Shoo!"

The scorpion stopped his attacks.

For about two seconds.

Afterwards, he continued snipping apart the thicket they were hiding in.

"Well, that didn't work," Nabiki said and yelped as the pincers almost cut off her head.

"He's too big," Sting explained. "You'll have to transform first in order to make him listen.

"That means I need the amulet," Nabiki said.

"I'll distract him," Rei shouted. "Sting, lead her to where the amulet is!"

"Right," the small scorpion replied. "Nabiki, go that way!"

While Nabiki followed Sting's instructions, Rei raised her transformation pen.

"Mars Star Power, Make Up!"

Sailor Mars jumped onto the scorpions head, bounced off and ran along its back.

"Hey, ugly! I'm over here!"

It was amazing how quick a beast of that size could turn around.

'I have to be careful not to hit the trees, or I'll start a forest fire,' Rei thought nervously.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" Creating her fiery bow, Mars shot one of the fire arrows at the monster. It hit it's thick skin and burned it, but not much.

"I really hope Nabiki and Sting return very soon," Rei said while avoiding the scorpion's stinger. "If a normal scorpion's venom is dangerous, I don't want to know what his venom would do..."

She fled into the thicket. "I think I have to hide until Nabiki returns..." She looked back while slowly retreating. The monster seemed to look elsewhere for her.

Mars sighed in relief. "I think I lost him," she said and turned around.

And faced a giant scorpion.

There was NO WAY that beast could have come here that quickly, so Rei came to the very easy conclusion that there were more than one of the beasts.

"Eeeep," she screeched as the scorpion attacked her with his pincers. She stumbled back, out of the thicket, where the first scorpion was still searching for her. He turned around and snarled at his prey. The second one came out of the thicket, and both monsters approached Sailor Mars menacingly.

"Burning Mandala!" The attack made the monsters wince in pain, but it only stopped them for a short while.

'I REALLY hope Nabiki returns soon...'

* * *

"Stop!" Sting shouted. "You're standing right on it!"

Nabiki skidded to a stop and looked down. At her feet, there was a big pile of earth. She sweat-dropped. "You buried it THERE?"

"Hey, I'm just a little scorpion," Sting defended himself. "And I was in a hurry..."

Nabiki sighed. "Never mind..." She bent down and scooped the dirt away with her hands.

Only after several scoops, she found a small, silver chest. She opened it and pulled out the golden pendant with the scorpion motive.

"It's really a miracle that it hasn't been washed away by the weather yet..." she mumbled and shot her 'advisor' a dark look.

When they heard Rei's scream, she quickly jumped to her feet. "I hope for your sake that this works," she told Sting.

She quickly donned the golden amulet and grasped it. "Um... what do I do now?"

Sting shrugged. "Say what comes to your mind!"

Nabiki closed her eyes...

"SCORPIO ZODIAC POWER, MAKE UP!"

A flash of light followed, and the silhouette of a scorpion in the background...

Sailor Scorpio was ready!

Nabiki looked down at her yellow skirt. "Neat! Now, let's hurry!"

* * *

Sailor Mars sweated as she slowly backed off. Holding up her Flame Sniper bow, she altered her aim from one of the two approaching monster to the other.

"Dangit Nabiki, where are you?" she said through gritted teeth.

One of the scorpions raised his pincers...

"MOSQUITO SWARM, ATTACK!"

And a cloud of the nasty little insects flew right into the eyes of the giant scorpion. He screeched and flailed around with his appendages.

Sailor Scorpio entered the clearing and grinned. "So, I can control all kinds of insects after all."

"Sailor Scorpio," Rei shouted with glee. "Man, am I glad to see you."

She shot her fire arrow at the second monster and ran over to her teammate.

"Hey, I may look like a frigid bitch, but I do care about my friends," Scorpio replied with a smirk.

She concentrated her powers on the two scorpions. "Stop this senseless fighting and leave us alone," she commanded them.

Now, fully powered up, she could feel how her magic surrounded the scorpions... but sadly, it didn't do anything.

"My powers are not working on them," she gasped. "Why's that?"

"Hmmm..." Mars watched the giant scorpions as they came closer. "Let me try something."

She held up one of her wards. "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, sen..." she murmured. Finally, she threw the ward at one of the monsters.

"AKURYOU TAISAN!"

The ward hit the scorpion's forehead and got stuck to it. After a screech, it got paralyzed.

"I knew it," Mars shouted. "They're not normal scorpions... they are evil creatures. No wonder your control doesn't work on them."

"Then we have to beat them the old-fashioned way," Scorpio said. She raised her arms. "Scorpio Scissors!"

And her forearms got covered in a coating of silver; shining gauntlets that ended in nasty-looking pincers!

Nabiki raised her weapons and grinned. "Good thing this amulet gave me the original Sailor Scorpio's fighting experience... Here we go!"

She rushed the non-stunned monster, and they met each other with a clash of pincers.

Meanwhile, the other scorpion had recovered from the stunning effect of Rei's ward and shook the little paper off his head. He roared and stretched out his stinger.

Rei stepped back and shouted: "Fire Soul!" Instantly, the tail was set aflame.

In the meantime, Scorpio was successful in cutting off one of the second monster's pincers. She jumped back to her friend.

"Let's end this," Scorpio said. "I'll lend you my powers..."

She closed her eyes. "Scorpio Power!"

On her forehead, the Zodiac sign of Scorpio lit up. Mars could feel the other Senshi's powers flowing through her body.

She aimed her outstretched palms towards the two monsters.

"RED SCORPION!"

The fire streaming out of her palms flew together and formed a big shape... a scorpion made of fire.

While it was by no means setting the forest on fire, its flames were most harmful for its two evil counterparts, as one of them painfully realized when he tried to attack it with his tail.

The fire scorpion just lunged at the two monsters.

And in seconds, only two piles of ashes remained.

Mars panted heavily as the powers flowed back into Nabiki's body.

Scorpio let out a sigh of relief. "Lucky thing you can control your flames like this," she moaned. "Otherwise we would have started a nice forest fire..."

"Well, looks like you two already took care of our little problem," a female voice said behind them.

A voice that sounded VERY familiar to Rei...

They turned around. Rei stared. "Setsuna? Haruka? Michiru? Hotaru? What are YOU of all people doing here in the rainforest?"

Setsuna smirked. "The same as you, I'd guess. We were searching for some energy that somehow felt like it contained the powers of a Senshi..."

Michiru smiled and held up her mirror talisman. "I could see that something important was hidden here in Brazil, so we came here to investigate."

"But why didn't you tell us?" Rei didn't understand it. "We already knew about the Zodiac Senshi from a dream I had. We could have helped you."

"Zodiac Senshi, eh?" Haruka asked as she looked over Nabiki's fuku. "So I suppose you would be 'Sailor Scorpio', right?"

"That's right," Nabiki replied. "And you are?"

Haruka smirked. "Sailor Uranus, at your service."

"I'm Sailor Pluto, but you can call me Setsuna. This is Michiru aka Sailor Neptune, and this little girl..."

"I'm not that little anymore, Setsuna-mama," Hotaru said. "And I'm Sailor Saturn. Nice to meet you!"

"So it was you guys that had been in the village before us, not some enemies," Rei realized. "But still... why being so secretive about it?"

Setsuna sighed. "Well, I could see a glimpse of the future... and I can't tell you everything... but we wanted to make sure if there really were new Senshi before worrying the princess... If we knew about your dream, we would've told you, of course."

"We were just searching in another part of the valley," Michiru explained. "We have been here since yesterday, and those scorpion monsters have attacked us several times, but we never got the chance of defeating them."

"How did you find the amulet so quickly?" Hotaru wondered. "Did someone tell you where it was hidden?"

Nabiki grinned. "Well, you could say that..." She raised the lid of the bag she was carrying.

Sting looked out and waved around his little pincers. "Howdy! Hey Pluto, what's up? Good to see you again after all those years..."

Pluto groaned. "Sting... of course... I was already wondering why we didn't find a trace of you."

"So, um... Where are Usagi and the others?" asked Haruka. "Did you two came here all by yourselves?"

While Nabiki told them about the other Zodiac Senshi from Nerima, Rei looked around the clearing. The scorpions were gone, but... she had the feeling that something else was still here. Something evil, inside this valley...

Hotaru noticed Rei's uneasiness. "What's wrong, Mars?" she asked.

"I... just have the feeling that we are being watched," the Senshi of Fire replied.

The others stopped talking and looked around.

"Now that you say it," Setsuna murmured. "I had this chilling feeling since we got here... If there is a force that controlled the giant scorpions..."

Then it happened.

A dark shape shot out of the trees, flew past Nabiki, snatched away her amulet and disappeared into the treetops.

Without her source of power, Scorpio was being stripped off her fuku, and she turned back to her regular self.

"What the...?" she shouted.

"Quick, transform!" shouted Setsuna. "Pluto Crystal Power..."

"Uranus Crystal Power..."

"Neptune Crystal Power..."

"Saturn Crystal Power..."

"MAKE UP!"

Within seconds, the Outer Senshi had transformed.

Uranus raised her own talisman. "Space Sword Blaster!"

The energy wave cut through the treetops and hit something that let out a screech. A dark shape fell out of the trees.

"What's that?" Saturn asked in bewilderment.

The figure stood up. It was a caricature of the human body, clothed in filthy rags. It's skin was dry and wrinkled, and its face a demonic grimace.

"So you found me out, huh?" asked the creature with a grin.

"A Youma?" Mars gasped. "That cannot be! They have all been wiped out when we defeated Beryl!"

"Fool!" the Youma snarled. "You may have beaten the queen, but you never destroyed all of her loyal servants. I stayed hidden, to make sure the Zodiac Senshi would never reawaken again. And now that I have Scorpio's amulet..." She held up the golden trinket with a grin. "It will never leave this valley again. You may have killed my guardians... but you have no chance against me! I, Youma Duplicas, will destroy you!"

The Outer Senshi pointed their weapons at her. The Youma snarled as she was facing a sword, a staff, a glaive and her own hideous face in Neptune's mirror.

"We'll see about that," Sailor Mars shouted and summoned her fire bow.

"World Shaking!" "Deep Submerge!" "Dead Scream!" "Silent Glaive Surprise!"

The Youma screamed as the combined attack turned it into dust.

Silence.

Uranus blinked. "That was too easy, wasn't it?"

While the rest of its body fell apart, Duplicas' face sneered. "Of course it was, you fools! While you're standing here, my magical trap has already been activated... it will destroy this pathetic valley, and all of you with it. Have fun dying, Sailor idiots!"

And with mad cackling, the Youma's head disintegrated.

Suddenly, a deep grumbling could be heard from under their feet.

Nabiki picked up her amulet. "Umm... this is bad, isn't it?" she asked nervously.

Pluto chuckled nervously. "Well, from what I hear I'd say that it will get pretty uncomfortable around here very soon..."

When the ground started shaking, everyone knew what the magical trap had activated.

"An earthquake!" Uranus shouted. "Run, as fast as you can!"

And as the shaking worsened, the six sailor suited defenders of love and justice ran for their lives.

Mars yelped as the trees started crashing down next to them. A big one almost squashed her, had it not been for Sailor Saturn: The small girl pushed her out of the way in time. Rei gulped. If she had been hit by that...

"LOOK OUT!" Neptune screamed as suddenly a big chasm opened up underneath them. In a wild panic, they jumped over it while gravel and trees fell down into the depths of the earth.

They reached the border of the valley and quickly jumped up the slopes... climbing them would have been suicide, as there were dozens of landslides.

Luckily the earthquake only shook around the valley itself. After running a few more steps, Setsuna slowly came to a stop. "I think we managed to escape this time... it's safe here." The others stopped and panted heavily.

From above, they watched as the entire Scorpion Valley collapsed, and only an enormous pile of debris was left behind.

Sting wiped a tear from his eye. "Goodbye... my beautiful home..."


	4. The Leo Amulet

Happosai sighed. It was so dark and lonely down here with the cargo... but as it was the cheapest way of flying, he had to stay out of view of the flight attendants.

He really hoped that the German girls were as pretty as the Japanese ones. And hopefully their underwear as well.

Perhaps he should start an international collection...

Well, at least Akane-chan was here with her new friends, and that was always a plus. And if he found one of the amulets here...

He gleefully snickered as he once again envisioned his dream: A world where all girls would let him admire their underwear-clad bodies.

"Ooooooh, Happi day..."

Well, there was a slight chance that this parchment he found was a fake...

But that couldn't be, or he would have realized it by now, right? Yeah... of course...

* * *

Akane looked around the buildings that surrounded her and Ami with wide eyes. Berlin was such an amazing city. Totally different from Tokyo, yes, but also very amazing.

Especially that 'Brandenburg Gate' in front of her... a truly impressive sight.

"Berlin really is an amazing city, isn't it?" Ami asked. "And it also has an interesting history. You know, that gate for instance... it was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II as a..."

"Ami, please," Akane pleaded. "No more lectures, okay?" She already found out how Ami loved to 'impress' other people with her knowledge... "Let's rather concentrate on finding my amulet..."

"Well, it should be easy for us to find since Sting lent us the pendulum... now we only need a map of Berlin, and we can say where exactly it is."

Akane nodded. That's how they learned that the amulet has to be somewhere in or around the capital city of Germany. She just used the pendulum on a map of Germany, and it pointed exactly to Berlin.

"I wonder what takes her so long," the youngest Tendo sister grumbled and looked over to the souvenir shop, where their other team member had gone to buy another map. "I'm tired of waiting..."

Some time later, an angry, red-headed girl came out of the gift shop.

"Ranma," her fiancee scolded her. "What took you so long?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," Ranma growled. "Let's say it involved some kids with squirt guns and some perverted, german boys who couldn't keep their hands to themselves..."

Akane shook her head. "Ranma, Ranma... we just arrived in Germany, and you have to start a fight already?"

"Well, it wasn't much of a fight," Ranma mumbled. "Those guys were wimps..."

"I think we should hurry and find the amulet," Ami intervened. "Ranma, do you have the map?"

Ranma nodded, pulled it out of his pants and gave it to Ami. "Here ya go!"

Ami unfolded it. "Here, Akane... Try using the pendulum."

She did it. "That's nearly outside of town," Akane shouted in surprise. "I think it will take a while until we're there."

"Doesn't matter," Ranma said. "Just a little roof-hopping, and we're there in no time."

"Ranma, we don't want to attract attention," Ami reminded him. "I think it's best if we take the 'U-Bahn'... it's the German word for subway."

Akane smirked. "You're the expert for foreign countries, Ami... lead the way!"

* * *

"I don't believe it," Akane gasped. "A circus? The amulet is in a circus?"

Indeed, on the wide, grassy plains just outside the outskirts of town, a big circus tent was standing, surrounded by trailers and cages of all sorts. On a big sign, the words 'ZIRKUS HOHLBEIN' could be read.

"We're lucky that it's going to stay for the following week," Ami said, reading a poster. "We would have a hard time finding it if it had moved along during our search."

Ranma grinned. "Looks like fun! Ya think there are any martial artists within their troupe?"

Akane sighed. "Ranma... this is a circus, not a martial arts tournament! Who has ever heard of martial artists performing in a circus?"

"Well, I think they should introduce it..." Ranma grumbled.

"We should try talking to the ringmaster," Ami said. "Perhaps he knows something about such an amulet."

* * *

A circus' ringmaster is a busy man, naturally. But Hagen Hohlbein was a nice man who was ready to devote some of his time to the three Japanese teenagers that were standing in front of his trailer.

He was a big, muscular man with black hair and a mustache. Had he long hair, he would have almost looked like a German version of Akane's father. Luckily, he could speak English fluently.

Ami introduced herself and her friends and told the ringmaster they were archaeology students that were trying to find several artifacts from all around the world.

Hohlbein sounded impressed. "Nice to see how young people are devoting themselves to something like that. Yes, I know which amulet you're talking about. It once belonged to my uncle Gerd... but sadly, I do not know where it is."

He gestured to a small family portrait that was standing on his desk. "That's my uncle, in the middle. As you can see, he's wearing the amulet. He was a great animal tamer, and that lion amulet was his... what's the word... Lucky Charm! In fact, he never had any accidents during his long career."

"Do you have any clues on where it might be?" Akane asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't know where he put it before he died... but what I do know is that there's still several old stuff from him, in the costume wagon... I have a hunch it might be there." He stood up. "If you like, we can take a look."

"Oh, we don't want to waste any more of your time..." Ami said.

The ringmaster smiled. "Nonsense! I'm happy if I can help such nice young girls as yourselves!"

Ranma growled.

* * *

While they were following Mr. Hohlbein around the trailers, they came close to several of the animal cages.

Suddenly, Ranma yelped and jumped behind his fiancee.

"Ranma, what's the big idea?" Akane shouted angrily.

"C-c-caaat," Ranma stuttered. "Big, BIG c-c-cat!"

Akane looked over to where he was pointing. Just a small distance next to them, several lion and tiger cages were situated. The big cats of prey were lazily laying on the ground, every now and then letting out a small growl.

Akane sighed. "It's okay, Ranma, they won't hurt you. See? They're all in cages. They can't come out."

Ranma gulped and quickly followed Ami and Hohlbein behind the next trailer.

"What's wrong with her?" the ringmaster asked in concern. "Does she have a fever?"

Ami shook her head. "No, it's just... Ranma has a really big fear of cats, may they be big or small..."

"Oh... that's kinda unusual, but I assure you, our big kitties won't harm you, Miss Saotome."

Ranma ignored the 'miss' part. She didn't look too convinced.

"Well, when we go back, we can go along the other side of the trailers, so you won't see them. All right?"

Ranma nodded. It really annoyed her that Hohlbein got such an impression of her... A scared, weak girl that was too afraid to walk past the cages of some c-c-c...

She didn't finish the thought.

They arrived at a small, shabby trailer. "Here it is," Hohlbein said. "We mostly keep old stuff in here, that no one wants to use anymore. But let's just say that some of us want to keep their old things... as a keepsake."

He unlocked the door to the trailer and entered. The three girls followed him.

'I wonder if I should ask him for some hot water?' Ranma wondered. 'Nah, perhaps later...'

The inside of the room was stuffed with shelves, chests and boxes. Many funny-looking costumes were hanging in an old wardrobe. A big assortment of circus hats was lying inside a big box.

The ringmaster walked to the end of the room and knelt down. He pulled a big, dusty coffer from under the shelves.

"In here in all of the old stuff of my uncle," he explained. "Why don't you look in there, I'll see if there's something in the shelves."

The three Japanese girls nodded, and Ranma and Akane knelt down next to the coffer, while Ami helped Mr. Hohlbein searching in the shelves.

She picked up an old photograph. It showed Gerd Hohlbein in his younger days, and he was holding a lion cub with a pink bow on its tail. "Awwww, what a cute little cub," Ami gushed.

Hohlbein smiled and took a look at the picture. "Yes, that's the old Lina when she was still a baby. My uncle raised her by himself, she was all the world to him."

"Hey!" Ranma suddenly shouted while rummaging through the chest. "I think I saw something shiny..."

"Maybe it's the amulet," Akane said excitedly and reached inside. But when she pulled the small object out...

"Awww man, just a shiny jacket button," she said.

"Strange," Ami said. "Why is it attached to a string?"

Akane blinked. Ami was right. She tried pulling out the string of the bundle of clothes, but it was stuck somewhere.

Something clicked.

"What was that?" Akane wondered.

"Look there!" Ami pointed to the bottom of the coffer. "I think you activated a secret mechanism."

"A secret drawer," Hohlbein said in amazement. "I didn't know about that. Girls, you truly are something..."

Ranma pulled out the object that was lying inside the drawer that came out of the coffer's bottom. "A book?" She opened it. "Hey, I can't read that stuff!"

"Of course not, Ranma," Akane groaned. "It's in German."

Hohlbein took the book and took a look at it. "It's my uncle's diary," he said with a surprised voice. "I always wondered where it would be."

"Perhaps he wrote the hiding place of the amulet into this book." Ami was excited.

* * *

A small figure was clinging to the trailer's window and peered inside. "Ranma is always so lucky," Happosai grumbled. "Not only has he two beautiful travel companions, he finds a clue how to find the amulet... I have to get that diary, somehow..."

He jumped to the ground and pondered. "What I need... is a small distraction..." His gaze wandered over to the cages.

He smiled. Perfect!

* * *

"Listen to that," Hohlbein said. "Here, my grandfather describes how he's preparing for his performance with the lions." The ringmaster sounded like a child that found a candy bar. He seemed very happy that they found the diary.

"Yeah, that's all very interesting, but we really need to know about the amulet," Ranma said impatiently.

"Ranma, don't be rude," Akane scolded him.

Suddenly, loud screaming could be heard from outside. Several people shouted something in German, then a man's voice yelled: "Hagen! Samba ist ausgebrochen!"

The ringmaster cursed in German as he ran out of the trailer. "Stay here," he ordered.

"Oh no," Ranma decided. "It's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak." And she followed him. Akane sighed, exchanged a look with Ami, and they ran after them.

When Ranma followed Hohlbein around the corner, she could hear a deep growling. She tried to stop herself in time, but by that time, she already was past the corner and saw the reason for the panic:

"C-c-c-caaaat..."

"Ranma, stay back," the ringmaster shouted. "It's too dangerous. Samba is very upset."

One of the tigers was outside of his cage, and he seemed pretty angry for some reason. Hohlbein was pulling a whip out of his belt and grabbed a long stick that was leaning against one of the cages.

Ranma gulped. That tiger was bigger than the others he saw earlier... and it looked so scary... and hungry... and...

"Meeeeoooooww..."

Startled, Hohlbein looked around. The tiger Samba growled, and quickly, he returned his attention to the nervous animal.

Ranma was crouching down on all fours, a strange glaze in his eyes.

Ami and Akane appeared. "Oh no," Akane gasped. "He entered the Neko-ken..."

With a loud snarl, Ranma prepared to jump. But Akane stepped in his way. "Ami, help Hohlbein! I'll take care of Ranma!"

Ami nodded and hid behind the trailer.

Neko-Ranma was hissing. Akane nervously took a step closer. "Ranma, calm down..."

And instantly, Ranma's hissing stopped. He sat down on the ground and looked at Akane curiously.

Behind her, the ringmaster's whip cracked, followed by a roar, but Akane didn't pay attention to what happened. She was beginning to understand what her powers could do...

"Ranma, lay down and close your eyes!"

Ranma obeyed right away. Akane was astonished. She never managed to calm Ranma down that quickly. Perhaps... her powers didn't only give her the ability to control normal felines, but also victims of the Neko-ken...

"Ranma, snap out of it," she commanded.

Ranma blinked. "Akane?" he asked. "Why am I lying on the floor? What happened?"

"Never mind that, come with me..." she pulled him off the ground and shoved him behind the trailer. "Stay here and don't look at the tiger."

Ranma gulped and nodded.

Meanwhile, Ami had already transformed into Sailor Mercury.

Samba roared as his master cracked the whip again. For some reason, Hohlbein didn't manage to calm him down. Something must have really angered him...

Suddenly, Mercury appeared on the top of a cage. She quickly analyzed the situation, then nodded.

"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"

Aiming carefully, she controlled the jets of water so they spun around the tiger without hurting him. Quickly, she shouted: "Shabon Spray Freezing!"

The water froze into solid ice, and the tiger was captured within a solid cage of ice.

Akane came back, looked at the captured tiger and gasped.

Hohlbein looked like he was in shock. "Wie... wie... du... du..."

Sailor Mercury smiled at him. "If you're in trouble again, call Sailor Mercury!" She jumped up and was gone.

Akane hurried over to the gaping ringmaster. "Are you all right?" she asked. Hohlbein shook his head. "Was ist... I mean... What happened just now?"

Akane smirked. "You just met one of Japan's heroes: Sailor Mercury, Senshi of Water and Ice."

She looked back at the tiger. "What's wrong with him?"

Hohlbein shook his head. "I don't know... Normally, he's a very quiet animal. I don't know what has angered him that much..."

Akane walked closer to the cage. "Be careful," Hohlbein warned her. She smiled. "Don't worry! I know what I'm doing."

She knelt down in front of the tiger. She was really nervous, but if her powers could even stop the Neko-ken...

"Hey there, Samba," she called in a soothing voice. "It's all right now, okay? Don't be angry! Everything is fine."

The tiger growled one last time, then he sat down on the grass and just looked at her.

Akane smiled. "See? That's a good boy!" She stood up and turned back around. "I think you can safely take him back into his cage now," she smiled.

Hagen Hohlbein shook his head. He was an experienced animal tamer and ringmaster, but... he had never seen anything like that before. Just with one single sentence... she managed to calm the wild tiger down. Amazing!

* * *

After melting the ice cage, Hohlbein led the much friendlier tiger back to his cage. Samba jumped in.

But when the ringmaster took a good look at the cage's lock...

"Someone broke the door open," he said in surprise. "Now who would do something like that?"

Luckily, they had a spare cage in which Samba could be contained.

Ami came back, together with Ranma. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

Akane nodded. "Yes, although the tiger didn't break free on his own... it was a saboteur."

Hohlbein locked the cage's door and returned. He grimly looked at Ranma, then at Akane. "Well, I don't really know what exactly happened, but what I know is that someone is sabotaging my circus."

"Perhaps it was just a distraction," Ami pondered. "A distraction from..." She blinked.

Then slapped herself hard. "I'm such a fool," she shouted and ran back to the costume trailer.

"Yo Ami, wait," Ranma shouted. They quickly followed her.

When they reached the wagon, Ami came out with a frown. "As I thought," she said. "The diary is gone."

Hohlbein sighed. "Oh verdammt..." he cursed in German. "Why would it be that important to someone?"

"There must be someone that is after the amulet as well," Akane suddenly realized. "And perhaps he has watched us."

"All that just because of some small amulet?" the ringmaster wondered.

Akane shrugged.

* * *

Their searched for the culprit and the amulet continued, but they couldn't find a single trace... until suddenly, a girl's voice screamed.

"Hurry, it came from over there," Ranma shouted and ran ahead.

On the ground, a pretty girl with hair as red as that of Ranma was lying, rubbing a nasty bump on her head. She was dressed in some sort of skintight costume, one that almost made Ranma's nose bleed.

The girl shook her head. "What happened?" Ranma asked.

The circus girl stood up. "You don't speak German?" she asked. "Who are you?"

Then, the ringmaster came around the corner, followed by Akane and Ami. "Asuka," he shouted in surprise. The girl said something in German, and Hohlbein answered.

In English, he introduced her to the three other girls. "This is Asuka, our magician's assistant. Asuka, these are Ranma, Akane and Ami. They're from Japan."

Asuka smiled. "What a coincidence! I'm half Japanese myself. Well, perhaps you had already guessed it from my name..."

"What happened to you?" Ranma asked again and looked at Asuka's bump.

The red-head got angry. "I was just standing here, enjoying the fresh breeze, when suddenly some pervert began fondling my butt! And he didn't stop there!"

Akane and Ranma blinked. That sounded somehow familiar...

"Did you recognize who it was?" Hohlbein asked Asuka. She shook her head. "No, he was standing behind me. I only saw his feet... and let me tell you, those were enormous! That guy must have been a giant!"

Ranma sighed. Well, so much for his theory... The pervert he had in mind was many things, but not big.

"And after he fondled me, I quickly turned around to grab him. But I tripped over some rock, and fell down. I must have hit my head, because the next thing I remember is that girl standing next to me." She gestured towards Ranma.

"That must have been the same guy that released Samba and stole my uncle's diary," Hohlbein said. "He must still be around somewhere. We have to find him."

But even with Asuka's help, they didn't manage to find either the man nor the diary or the amulet.

* * *

When it was getting dark, they had to quit the search for the time being, as this evening's show was about to start. The ringmaster's brother had taken care of the preparations while they were searching for the culprit, and he would also stand in for him in the arena.

As he was somehow grateful for Ranma's, Akane's and Ami's help, the ringmaster gave them all free tickets for the show. They accepted gratefully.

Soo after he led them to their seats, his brother Hans entered the arena. He did a good job in Hagen's place, but as he was speaking in German, Hagen had to translate the most important parts.

Ranma, Akane and Ami were still thinking about the amulet and their other friends, but for now, they were trying to relax and enjoy the show.

When the first half of the show was over, several workers were starting to set up the cage for the tigers and lions.

While the workers were busy, two clowns were doing their silly jests around the cages.

Ami tried desperately to enjoy the funny spectacle, but she felt like she had overlooked something... something important...

Ranma chuckled. "Hey, Akane! Check out those giant shoes of that clown!"

Ami gasped. Suddenly, it all made sense to her. "Mr. Hohlbein," she said in a hurry. "Say, is it possible that there are fewer clowns in the arena than usually?"

"You're right," the ringmaster said in surprise. "I was wondering where he was... Pepe, we call him the dwarf... he's not there!"

"Then we have to go outside!" Ami stood up. "If we find a clown out there, he has to be the thief."

While Ami was wading through the protesting people, Akane and Ranma followed her. "What do you mean?" Ranma asked. "Why do you think that a clown was the thief?"

"Remember when Asuka said something about the really big feet of the culprit? Well, his feet only looked that big because he wore clown shoes... the same kind of shoes those clowns in the arena are wearing. Think about it: The best way to walk around the circus unsuspiciously is when everyone thinks you're one of the troupe. So he dressed himself as a clown, so no one would ever think he was the culprit. I'll bet that he has locked the real Pepe up somewhere and stole his costume..."

"If what you said is true, we have a chance of getting him," Akane replied. "Hurry up, Ranma!"

* * *

While heading outside, they could already hear a roar coming from the predator cages.

"That... sounded like the old Lina," Hohlbein realized. "She never leaves her cage because she's way too old for the acts..."

"I'd guess our culprit is nearby," Ranma said and sped up.

In front of the lion cage, a small clown was standing, while the old lioness inside was nervously roaring at him.

"Quiet down you stupid cat," the clown said in a voice well-known to both Ranma and Akane. "You only have something I need..."

"Hey, get away from there," Ranma shouted and lunged for the clown.

Said person turned around and quickly jumped out of the way. Now they could clearly see that it was Happosai, clothed in a pair of oversized trousers complete with giant shoes, suspenders, a bow tie and a bowler... all striped or spotted in bright clown colors. His face was painted red and white.

Ranma grinned. "Suits you, old lecher," she said. "But do you think anyone is going to take you seriously with that getup?"

"Why, Ranma," the tiny master of Anything Goes Martial Arts sneered. "Show your master a little more respect!"

"You're not my master," Ranma screamed and tried to jump-kick the clown. Happosai jumped up and bounced off the red-heads red head.

"You know you still have much to learn before you can beat me, you know that?"

"Well, if he can't do it, I can!" Akane yelled and threw a punch at the old man. Happosai jumped away and Ranma quickly retracted her head.

"Akane-chan, how nice to see you here," Happosai snickered. "And nice to feel you too..."

Akane went red with fury when she felt the ancient pervert's hands on her derriere. Shouting in rage, she tried to get at least one hit at the clown, but he was way too fast as he climbed all over her body, groping her here, fondling her there...

'Enough is enough,' Akane thought and pulled out her mallet. "HAPPOSAI NO BAKA!"

WHAM!

She missed, but at least the impressive size of the hammer scared Happosai away. Nervously he looked at her tool. "My, Akane, I think that's a new record, don't you think?"

He was right! All the time Akane tried to mallet perverts in her life, she never managed to pull out a hammer as big as the one she was now wielding.

Ami and the ringmaster watched the spectacle with gaping mouths.

"How can a single girl even lift that thing?" Hohlbein mumbled.

Ami chuckled. "I always had the feeling Akane was a pretty strong girl..."

"I think you forgot about me, you old freak," Ranma shouted. "MOKO TAKABISHA!"

Hohlbein stared even more as he saw the gleaming ball of ki flying towards the wrinkled clown.

'What a shame that I can't use my visor now,' Ami said. 'I'd love to know how Ranma did that.'

"Now you made me mad," Happosai shouted. "Happo Daikarin!"

Ranma yelped as the old man threw several of his dangerous firecrackers at her. But Akane reacted quickly, using her large mallet as a baseball bat and knocked the bombs back at Happosai.

"Yikes," the clown managed to say before he vanished in a big explosion.

When the clouds vanished, the charred form of the twitching martial arts clown was lying on the ground.

"Oh god," the ringmaster gasped. "They killed him!"

"Don't worry," Ranma assured him. "He's still alive... unfortunately..."

Akane just stared at her new mallet lovingly. She just realized, it was adorned with the roaring face of a proud lion. And she was proud of herself, having reached a new level of pervert-busting. She hugged the huge tool.

"From today on, I'll call you 'Pervert Buster Simba'!"

* * *

A little time later, Happosai was tied up with steel cables and men's underwear. (Ranma assumed those would weaken him considerably!)

After a little search, they also managed to find the diary and the locked up clown Pepe. He told them Happosai had knocked him out from behind.

"How low can you get?" Ranma asked with disgust. "Why are you after the amulets after all?"

"And what were you doing with the old Lina?" Hohlbein asked enraged. He had managed to calm the old lioness down again, but that didn't calm himself down.

"N-n-nothing," Happosai stuttered. "I only wanted to take a look at her shiny fur..."

Ami smirked. "I think I know what he wanted. He must have read it in the diary, but I think I figured it out on my own."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked surprised.

Ami pointed to the lioness' tail. "That pretty bow is the same one she wore as a cub, right?"

"Correct," Hohlbein nodded. "It was a gift from my uncle. We never took it off. Why do you ask?"

Ami smiled. "Because I think the amulet we're searching for... is hidden within that cute little bow!"

"Say what?" Ranma shouted in surprise.

Hohlbein looked puzzled, but he walked over to the cage anyway.

"Lina," he called the old lioness, and she approached him. When she wasn't nervous, she was actually a harmless and gentle animal. She didn't even have any more teeth.

The ringmaster carefully reached for her tail and fumbled with the pink bow. After a while, he held up something shiny. "You were right, Ami... It's the lion's amulet! It was here, all along!" He laughed. "My uncle really chose a good place to hide it."

Akane smiled. The Leo Amulet... finally she would have her own powers...

Ami took it out of the ringmaster's hand and held it out for Akane. "Here, take it! It's yours!"

"I must go and see if everything is fine with the show," Hohlbein excused himself. "Also, I want to see if Pepe is okay... You don't mind, do you? I'll be back right away."

The others nodded, and he left.

Happosai still struggled within his bonds. "Think about it, Ranma," he said. "With these amulets, we can make our wishes come true. How about it: You can wish for your curse to be removed! What do you say?"

"What are you babbling about, old geezer?" Ranma asked. "There's a reason we were searching for the amulets... and now that I know who I was in a previous life, there's no way I want to throw away my girl side. True, I'm still not happy about turning into a girl... but I don't think you would understand it, so why do I even care?"

Akane was reaching out to take her amulet...

The moment she touched it, she and Ami were being pushed back by an invisible force.

"What the...?" Ranma shouted.

Strands of darkness were flowing out of the amulet and formed a menacing figure.

A deep growl came from the being as it made a step forward. It looked like a black panther, but it was made of pure darkness, and its eyes were a gleaming red.

Ranma sweated and almost got ready to run.

'It's not a real panther, it's only a monster, it's okay Ranma, you can handle monsters like that...'

"A Youma," Ami gasped. "Quick! Transform!"

Ami raised her pen and the other grasped their amulets (Akane after quickly picking it up from the ground).

"Mercury Star Power, Make Up!" "Aquarius Zodiac Power, Make Up!" "Leo Zodiac Power, Make Up!"

The transformations were complete. Akane now was wearing a fuku with a brown skirt. Her mallet 'Simba' was resting in her hands.

Ami smirked. "You know, I read about it in a hidden data within my computer... that mallet used to be the original Sailor Leo's main weapon! She was an expert of pulling weapons out of thin air."

Ami grinned. "Looks like I already used her powers even before I knew that I was a Senshi."

The shadow panther snarled and slashed at them. Claw marks of darkness came flying towards them, and they jumped away just in time.

One of the slashes had grazed Aquarius' skirt, and a good part of it got ripped off.

Happosai (who still couldn't move away) stared. "Pretty..."

Aquarius went red with rage. "All right, cat or no cat, no one damages my clothes without my permission... Water Control!"

Out of a nearby tent, the elephants' drinking water came flying and surrounded the vicious beast. The pressure made it yowl in pain before it broke free.

Mercury quickly scanned the monster with her visor. "It's not really a Youma," she realized. "It's just a monster being made of shadows... and someone else is controlling them!"

"Quick, find out where that person is," Sailor Leo shouted and stormed towards the panther. "SIMBA SMASH!"

The attack pounded the monster deep into the earth. Several cracks appeared in the ground. Leo smirked. "Looks like I won."

But suddenly, the shadows came flowing from under the mallet, floated behind Sailor Leo and once again formed the black panther.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought..." Leo murmured.

"I got it," Mercury shouted. "The being controlling this shadow beast is hiding... up there!" And she gestured towards a tree.

"I got it," Ranma shouted. "Moko Takabisha!" The ki bullet flew up to the treetop.

A second later, a dark shape came jumping out of the tree, dodging the attack. It was a human figure, dressed in tattered rags, with dry, grey skin.

"This is an actual Youma," Mercury said. "You were the one controlling the shadows, right?"

The Youma grinned. "So, you found me out, eh? Well, I must say, you're a clever girl, Mercury... But that won't help you! I knew you'd come here and provided Leo's amulet with this little trap... Shadow Beast! Kill them!"

The panther roared and jumped towards Sailor Aquarius, scaring the martial artist Senshi with it's cat-like figure, and got ready to kill her with a single bite.

"Oh no, you don't!" Leo yelled. "Mercury! I give you my power!"

She closed her eyes. "Leo Power!"

On her forehead, the Zodiac sign of Leo lit up. Ami could feel Akane's powers flowing through her body.

She raised her hands. "WHITE LION!"

The freezing water shooting out of her hands formed a huge shape... a big lion made entirely from ice. He jumped to the ground and roared. He towered over the smaller shadow beast which nervously backed off.

The ice lion jumped at the beast and exploded in a shower of ice shards. The shadow beast yowled as it got blasted to pieces.

"That won't change a thing," the Youma snarled. "I can always create new beasts from the shadows. You have no chance against me... For I am Youma Duplicas, your executioner!"

"Aw, shut up!" a voice behind her yelled. Duplicas turned around and only saw a fist flying towards her face. Then, she felt only pain...

The force of Aquarius' punch threw her back, and she hit the trunk of the tree she was hiding in hardly.

Ranma concentrated the water around her hands. "Moko Takabisha Revised: Lance of Water!"

And as she shot the ki-infused water ball towards her enemy, a trail of water made the attack look like a lance that pierced the heart of the monster.

Duplicas turned to dust before their eyes. "Fools," she said during her decay. "You may have beaten me, but there are more of myself out there... just you wait, the end will come!"

And then its face fell apart.


	5. The Libra Amulet

A small rental car was driving along a long, curvy country road.

Inside the car, two feline eyes were following the movements of a crystal pendulum that was swinging back and forth.

"Lucky thing that Sting had more of these things, right Luna?" Usagi asked.

Luna resisted the urge of batting the pendulum with her paw and shook her head. "Yes, that's right... we would've had a hard time finding the amulet without it."

"Can we be sure it's really in that castle, sugar?" Ukyo asked and gestured towards the impressive building they were approaching.

"I think so," Mamoru nodded while steering. "I asked around in town and they told me this castle would belong to the McScott family, an old scottish clan that lost his status as nobles a long time ago... But they kept their castle."

"Is there actually someone living in that old thing?" Ukyo asked curiously as she peered out of the car's window. "Somehow looks kinda run-down to me..."

"I'm sure of it," Mamoru nodded. "Although... I have the feeling I heard the name somewhere before... McScott... sounds familiar..."

Ukyo shrugged. "So, um... Mamoru. You're a super hero as well?"

He smiled. "You could say that. I assist the Sailor Senshi in their battle against evil. I am the reincarnation of the Earth Prince, just as Usagi is the reincarnation of the Moon Princess."

"Mamo-chan and I are destined to be together," Usagi giggled.

"Ah, I get it. And, you got some special powers as well?"

Mamoru coughed. "Um... I throw roses..."

"Say what?"

Usagi beamed. "Wonderful red roses, he always throws them to save us when we are in trouble."

"But... why roses?" Ukyo was puzzled. "Couldn't you find something more... intimidating?"

"Well..." Mamoru laughed nervously. "The girls think they're romantic..."

"That's true," Usagi gushed. "And after throwing his rose, he appears on a wall, in a window or a tree, clad in his tuxedo, while the wind is blowing through his cape..."

"In his TUXEDO? Man, why are you fighting in a TUXEDO of all things?"

Mamoru sweated. "Well... the girls like it..."

Ukyo shook her head. "Sugar, if you ask me: You should come up with some fighting gear that actually impresses your opponent, not the girls you're helping..."

* * *

They parked in front of the castle. Ukyo looked up. It was old, but also very impressive. In front of them, a massive double door rose above their heads, bearing an old emblem showing a pair of scales.

"Scales..." Ukyo shook her head. "Why am I not surprised?"

Mamoru looked around until he found a long cord dangling down next to the door. He pulled it.

A deep and loud 'BOOONNNNGG' echoed through the castle.

Usagi giggled. "I bet there is some old butler coming to answer the door."

After a few seconds, the door opened.

Usagi stared. That was no butler. In fact, that young guy looked more like a...

A rock star.

A black leather jacket, hard boots, an earring dangling from his left ear, and his hair a wild mane colored in red and orange.

But his face was smiling when he looked at the three people standing in front of him. "Yes, can I help you?"

Mamoru blinked. "Jimmy?"

The young man stared back. Then he grinned. "Hey, Mamoru!! Wow, now that's a surprise! I never imagined you'd show up here in my old home. Come in, pal, come in! Man! Must have been eons since we saw each other, huh?"

Ukyo and Usagi looked back and forth between Mamoru and this... interesting-looking guy. "You know him?" Ukyo finally said.

Mamoru nodded. "Yes, and now I remember where I heard the name McScott before... this is Jimmy McScott, he has lived in Juuban for a short time. He was planning to be a rock composer, singer and guitarist, but he wanted to have a solid education first... But I never imagined that his home back here in Scotland would be a castle. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Heh, you know me," Jimmy said bashfully. "I never liked to brag... and besides, this castle is really all that is left to the McScott clan... and I'm the last living clan member. I only come here when I feel nostalgic... my actual living place is back in town."

They followed him inside. They were standing in a big hall, with broad stairways leading to the upper rooms. Soft carpets were lying on the ground, expensive paintings hanging on the walls, and from the ceiling, an enormous chandelier was dangling.

"Wow, now that's an impressive castle," Ukyo murmured.

"Make yourselves at home," Jimmy said with an inviting gesture. "Every friend of Mamoru is a friend of mine."

Usagi grinned and hugged Mamoru's arm. "Actually, he's my boyfriend!"

Mamoru grinned nervously, and his old friend smirked back. "So, you finally got yourself a girl, huh? I'm afraid I still have to find the right one... Hey, you can stay here for tonight. There are more than enough rooms upstairs. And tonight, when we're having dinner, you can tell me what brings you to Scotland, okay?"

* * *

Usagi and Ukyo got to share a room with two big beds, each one bigger than both of their own beds together.

"We're really lucky Mamoru's friend is the current owner of this castle, right?" Ukyo said while putting away her stuff. "The search for the amulet will be much easier this way."

"By the way, Ukyo..." Luna jumped onto her bed. "Sting gave me something that belonged to the original Sailor Libra... just a moment..."

Luna jumped into the air, and after a small somersault, a small, shiny pair of scales appeared on her bed.

Ukyo picked it up. "Thank you, but... I guess they're no ordinary scales, right?"

"That's correct," Luna nodded. "They're called the 'Scales of Light and Shadow'. They can show you if the balance between good and evil is being disturbed by something, in the immediate proximity."

Ukyo held them up. "They're balanced out perfectly. I guess that means everything is fine?"

"Right," Luna nodded. "But I have the feeling we'll need this little artifact sooner or later."

* * *

Under normal circumstances, Jimmy would've eaten his dinner in the kitchen. But now that he had guests he insisted on serving it in the castle's dining room... on a table that was easily big enough for 20 people, or perhaps even more.

"I'm sorry that I had no time of tidying this place," Jimmy said after everyone sat down. "If I had known you were coming..."

"It's fine the way it is," Mamoru told him. "Don't worry about it... Besides, you know how my apartment was always in a state of chaos, right?"

Jimmy laughed. "Yeah, I remember very well... Well, I hope Usagi managed to turn you into a better house husband, eh?"

Usagi blushed, Mamoru chuckled and Luna sweat-dropped. Mamoru mainly had to clean up AFTER Usagi had been at his apartment.

Ukyo looked around the room. There were paintings hanging everywhere on the walls.

"Say, Jimmy," she started. "All of this must be worth a fortune... didn't you ever think about selling it, if you don't even live here?"

"You're right, this old building really isn't my style," Jimmy chuckled. "But, you know... I'm the last one of the McScotts... and I could never sell the home of my ancestors."

Ukyo took a closer look at the paintings. Directly next to her was a big picture of an elderly couple, dressed in traditional Scottish costumes, complete with checkered kilts.

Suddenly, she let out a gasp of surprise. "Hey! On that painting... that's the amulet we're looking for, isn't it?"

She was right: Around the neck of the old man on the painting, the golden pendant was dangling.

"So that's why you're here, eh?" Jimmy smirked. "I already guessed it was no duty call..."

"You're right," Mamoru replied. "You know, there is a total of 12 of these amulets, and we are trying to find them all. We learned that one of them would be somewhere here on McScott Castle."

"But this is only a picture, right?" Usagi said. "We need the real one."

Jimmy stood up and looked at the painting. "Yes, I know the amulet you are talking about... but I've never seen the real amulet in my life, I'm sorry..."

"Who are those people on the painting anyway?" Ukyo asked.

They all looked at the faces of the pictured couple. It was amazing how realistic their faces looked. Usagi had the chilling feeling as if their eyes would stare directly at her.

Jimmy shook his head. "I'd prefer we don't talk about this creepy picture anymore..." He shuddered.

Suddenly, something invisible smacked the back of his head...

"Mind your mouth," an angry voice shouted. "You impudent rascal!"

And out of the empty air, a floating figure appeared: The translucent form of an elderly man, the same one that was on the painting.

Usagi yelped in fright and jumped behind Mamoru. Luna hissed and hid under the table. Ukyo nervously stepped back.

Jimmy just sighed. "Uncle Eric... since when do you appear when I don't even play my guitar? You never did before!"

"I won't let a snotty tyke like you insult our lovely painting," the ghost huffed.

Suddenly, next to the floating man appeared another translucent figure... the other person from the painting, the woman!

"Eric McScott! What did I tell you about appearing before mortals that aren't even Scottish? And in broad daylight... shame on you!"

The man looked at Usagi, Mamoru and Ukyo with wide eyes. "By my grave! Who are those people?" He took a closer look. "Are you Irishmen?"

Mamoru chuckled. "No, sir... We're from Japan!"

"Never heard of the country," the ghost grumbled. "What are you doing in my castle?"

"The castle now belongs to Jim," the woman shouted. "He can invite anyone he wants. So leave his guests alone!"

Mamoru quickly walked over to his friend. "Um, Jimmy... are those..."

Jimmy sighed. "Ghosts? Yeah, pretty amazing, huh? May I introduce you to my granduncle Eric and my grandaunt Betty? You saw them on the painting..."

Ukyo laughed nervously. "Um... nice to meet you, sir, ma'am..."

"My, what a nice young lady," the female ghost smiled. Ukyo blushed.

"Are you sure you aren't Irish?" Eric McScott muttered. "I can't stand those idiots... I used to have an Irish business partner... he always had to brag about how their way of life would be much better than our fair Scottish traditions... What a snob..."

The three Japanese teenagers calmed down a little. Those ghosts didn't seem too bad...

"Um... excuse me, sir?" Usagi asked carefully.

"What do you want, lass?" the ghost asked in his grouchy voice.

"Uh... I just wanted to ask you... that golden amulet on your painting... I mean... could you please tell us where it is?"

McScott instantly got suspicious. "Why? So you can steal it?"

"We have no intention of stealing from you, sir," Mamoru quickly answered. "But, you see... it is very important for us that we find every of these twelve amulets."

The ghost thought about it.

His wife floated over to him and smiled. "Dear, I believe those nice people have a very good reason. So why don't you just give it to them?"

"Give it to them?" Eric McScott sounded shocked. "I've never just GIVEN anything to anyone. No, dear... if they want that amulet, they have to earn it first."

Ukyo sighed. Well, that would have been too easy, right?

"And what do you have in mind, Uncle Eric?" Jimmy asked.

The ghost smirked.

"You know, there IS something you could do for me..." he murmured. "Something that this failure of a McScott was never able to do..." He threw Jimmy an angry glare.

Jimmy nervously looked at the floor.

"You must know, there is another Scottish clan living around here... the McTricks! The McTricks and McScotts always have been enemies... But one thing they did was really the worst thing ever done to the McScott clan: They tricked me!"

"How terrible..." his wife grumbled in the background.

Eric threw her another glare, then coughed and continued: "Well, as I said: I was being tricked! Alan McTrick, the clan's patriarch, is a merchant as me, when I was still alive... But this cheating little maggot..." The ghost gritted his teeth. "He sold me some wares... but when I was going to pay for them, he tricked me by using a pair of defective scales... they made me pay 3 pounds too many."

"Pound?" Usagi wondered.

"Pound is the English and Scottish currency," Jimmy explained.

Ukyo was thinking. Defective scales? Was that the influence of the Libra Amulet or just coincidence?

Eric McScott shook his head. "I couldn't bear the disgrace and soon left the world of the living..."

"Don't speak nonsense," His wife scolded him. "We both died from old age."

"Hah!" her husband yelled. "I was still as healthy as I was as a young man, don't tell me anything about old age! No, no, it was the shame of being tricked by McTrick!"

"So... what do you want us to do about it?" Mamoru asked.

The ghost grinned and floated a little closer. "I want... that you somehow get these 3 pounds back for me. I don't care how... but be sure McTrick loses 3 pounds... and the McScott clan gains 3 Pounds! If you manage to do that, I'll tell you the place where I hid the amulet."

"But Uncle Eric," Jimmy protested. "No one can trick the McTricks! They're just too sneaky!"

"Nonsense!" His granduncle huffed. "You always have been a failure, my boy, that's our problem here!"

And with a 'bamf' of smoke, the ghost vanished. Betty smiled reassuringly at them and followed her husband.

* * *

The following day...

Early in the morning, Jimmy and his old pal Mamoru drove into town.

They parked the car and walked into the town center.

Jimmy gestured towards a small junk-shop. "That's his shop. And remember, be careful: McTrick can be a sneaky little weasel!"

Mamoru nodded. "I'll be careful."

The evening before, they all asked themselves if they should do as Jimmy's granduncle told them. After all, they could easily search for for the amulet themselves. But as Jimmy told them, that would take weeks. If the McTricks were really as back-stabbing as Jimmy and his uncle said, they deserved it. And besides, 3 pounds, that's not very much, right?

Luna wanted to give them a lecture about what was right and what was wrong, but as she couldn't say anything as long Jimmy was around, she didn't get much of a chance for this lecture...

Mamoru and Jimmy entered the shop. A jingling bell at the door informed the proprietor of the arrival of customers.

A short, elderly man with black hair and a beard came out of the backroom. "Ah, Jimmy," he said with a grin. "How nice to see you again, my boy!"

"Morning, Mr. McTrick!" Jimmy replied. "My friend here is from Japan, and he's looking for a nice souvenir. You don't mind if we take a look around, do you?"

"I'm just searching for something as a present for my girlfriend," Mamoru added, to stay in character.

"Of course, of course! Bringing him here was a good idea, Jimmy! In my shop, he will find a big assortment of souvenirs. Just take a look around, sir, and tell me if you find something that you like."

Mamoru looked around. He instantly realized how unusual high McTrick's prices were. In his opinion, that was downright daylight robbery. Luckily, he still had much money left from his big lottery prize.

He just wished Nabiki was here. From what Ukyo told him, the middle Tendo girl was unbeatable when taking care of anything financial...

He pointed at a small teddy bear wearing a Scottish kilt. "How about that bear?"

"A very good decision, sir," McTrick grinned. "Scottish needlework, and an excellent prize. Your girlfriend will love it."

Mamoru nodded. "I'll take it." He took it to the counter.

McTrick smiled. "That's a total of 8 pounds, please!"

Mamoru smiled back. "Can we round it down?"

McTrick instantly stopped smiling. "The McTricks have never allowed a discount, and they won't start it now."

"Hey, it's only 3 pounds."

"I told you, sir: No discounts!"

Mamoru sighed. A really stubborn merchant. Well, time for Plan B...

He pulled out his wallet. "May I pay in Yen?"

"I don't mind," McTrick grumbled.

Mamoru took out several Yen bills and gave them to the merchant. He took the teddy bear. "Goodbye, sir!"

"Just a moment," McTrick suddenly shouted. "Are you trying to take me for a fool?"

'Dang!' Mamoru thought. 'He really is an observant bargainer...'

McTrick grinned. "You thought I wasn't informed about the exchange rates, did you? The Yen you owe me are corresponding approximately 3 pounds... and you're lucky that I don't charge you for the thousandth part of the price!"

Mamoru groaned as he paid the full price for the bear.

'Okay, he won this round, but that was only the beginning...'

* * *

In the late evening, Alan McTrick was closing his little shop. Satisfied, he tested the weight of his bag. Yes, very heavy. Very much money... He grinned.

He'd never store his hardly-earned money inside his store... He preferred taking it home, where he could be sure no one would take it away.

He began his long way home.

But when he turned around a corner, he suddenly felt something hard pressing against his back.

"Hands up!" a mumbling voice told him. "Give me all your money... or your life!"

McTrick smiled weakly. "I'd prefer my life..."

But then, someone came around the corner. It was Jimmy McScott.

Jimmy smirked inwardly. 'Now I can show my real acting talent.' Outwardly, he gasped. "Mr McTrick!" Then he looked darkly at the 'robber'. "Let him go right now, or else..."

The 'robber' raised his 'gun', which was hidden beneath a bundle of cloth. "Back off!"

Jimmy smirked and kicked the 'gun' out of the 'robber's' hands.

'Ouch! He didn't have to kick me that hard,' the robber thought.

Aloud, he shouted "Dang!" and began running.

"Don't you ever come back here," Jimmy shouted after him.

McTrick smiled. "Well done, Jimmy, my boy! Just at the right time! Your uncle would've done nothing like that. I think you have earned a reward..."

'I can't believe it,' Jimmy thought. 'It really worked.'

"R-really, Mr. McTrick?" he asked.

McTrick smiled. "Of course! I'll reward you... with a firm handshake! There!" He shook Jimmy's hands, picked up his bag and smiled. "Good evening to you, Jimmy!"

Behind another house corner, Ukyo stomped angrily on the ground. "Oooooh, I can't believe it! How can anyone be so... sooo... greedy?"

"Sorry," Usagi said in a small voice. "I was hoping my plan would work."

"Well, I only got a nice bruise on my wrist," Mamoru whined after pulling off his mask.

"Fine," Ukyo grumbled. "Tomorrow, we're gonna put MY plan to work, guys... and then I'll show him who's easily tricked!"

* * *

That night, Ukyo was still up in bed and sighed.

Usagi turned around in her own bed. "Is something wrong? Can't you sleep?"

"Oh, I just had to think about Ran-chan... I wonder what he's doing right now?"

"You must be very close friends," Usagi guessed.

Ukyo chuckled. "Well, I like to see myself as more than just his 'friend'... I'm his fiancee, you know?"

"Really?" Usagi was surprised. "I thought Akane was Ranma's fiancee?"

When hearing her rivals name, Ukyo instantly felt down again. "Well... she's ONE of Ran-chan's fiancees..."

"How can anyone have multiple fiancees?" Usagi wondered.

Ukyo smirked. "Ask his father! Anyway, I was just thinking what this new situation means for our engagement..." She sighed again. "Never mind, I think I'll figure something out..."

"Hey, do you two mind?" a mumbling voice came from Usagi's legs, where Luna was lying. "Some people want to sleep here..."

Usagi frowned and shook her legs around HARDLY.

"Whaaarrghh!" Luna flew a small distance through the air before landing on the soft carpet. "Usagi!!"

Usagi looked down at her. "I just want to remind you of all the times where you woke me up at night... because you and Artemis - or whoever it was you were with - couldn't keep quiet."

Luna blushed heavily when hearing this. Ukyo and Usagi giggled.

* * *

All by himself, Eric McScott floated through the corridors of his castle...

'And yes, it IS my castle,' he thought angrily.

He was in an awkward position... If those 'Japanese' people really restored the McScott family honor, he'd have to make it up to them... something he never liked. But, if they fail, he'd never get his eternal rest.

But he'd be damned before he would give away his precious amulet. "There just has to be a way out of this..." he mumbled.

Telling his wife? Bah, the old hag was getting soft with her old age. When they were young, she would have understood him. But now...

No, this was something he had to do on his own. If he only knew how...

"Excuse me..." a soft voice called out to him. "But I have a suggestion..."

"Who are you?" he asked and turned around in mid-air.

In front of him, a very old woman was standing, with a dry and wrinkled skin, and dirty rags that were flowing around her body.

"My name is Duplicas, and I think I might be able to help you..."

* * *

The following day...

Early in the morning, Ukyo, Usagi, Mamoru and Jimmy once again are standing near McTrick's shop.

Ukyo looked doubtfully at the Disguise Pen in her hands. "And you say this thing doesn't really transform me?"

Usagi shook her head. "Nope! It just creates an illusion around your body."

"I still can't believe it," Jimmy mumbled. "A magical pen... Well, if ghosts exist..."

They decided to tell Jimmy of the Disguise Pen, as it was a crucial part of the plan, and they needed Jimmy's help. As he was familiar with supernatural things in the form of his two ghost relatives, it was not a big problem to convince him.

Ukyo raised the pen and sighed. "Well, here goes nothing..."

* * *

A little later, Mr. McTrick was walking towards his little shop. Like every day, he opened early in the morning. But... today was a little different from other days.

An old woman was sitting on the pavement, leaning against the wall of his shop.

In front of her, a big bunch of flowers was standing in a cheap vase.

"Flowers," she shouted. "Buy flowers! Only 3 pounds each! Are you interested in buying a Lucky Flower, sir? They will bring you good luck!"

McTrick laughed. "You really chose a bad spot for your business, lady," he replied. "I won't fall for this kind of rubbish." He opened his shop.

When he was ready to go inside, Jimmy McScott came walking down the street. He threw a coin in the hat of the old woman. "Here! For you!"

The woman (who was really Ukyo in disguise) smiled at him. "Thank you very much! Here, have a Lucky Flower!"

She handed him one of the flowers. He put it in his vest pocket and smiled. "Thanks!"

He walked past McTrick. The man snorted. "Are you silly, boy? Wasting your money for such a nonsense! Don't tell me you actually believe in that?"

Jimmy looked at him and got ready to cross the street. "I can do what I want with my ..."

"LOOK OUT!" McTrick shouted, but it was too late.

Jimmy fell hard onto the street, as the bike of an unknown cyclist slammed into his back.

Jimmy stood up. The biker made no intentions of stopping and kept on riding.

"Hey, at least apologize," Jimmy shouted after him. No response.

Suddenly, he spotted something lying on the street. "Huh? Looks like that cyclist lost his wallet..." He picked it up and looked inside.

He grinned. "Wow! Now that's good luck! In there are 100 pounds, and no address!" He jumped into the air. "Whoohoo! This flower really seems to bring me luck!"

McTrick just stared. Then he shook his head. "Bah, must've been mere coincidence..."

When he heard someone else talking to Jimmy, he looked outside again.

A young, pretty woman in a business suit was talking to him. "Excuse me, but are you Jimmy McScott? With the lottery ticket number B 98765?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, I bought it some days ago. Why?"

The woman smiled and pulled out a piece of paper. "I'm from the official lottery management and here to tell you that you won the main prize... and 1000 pounds!"

Jimmy grinned and took the check and some official papers. After the woman left, he cheered: "All right! 1100 pounds on a single day!" Turning to the old woman (Ukyo) he said: "That's only thanks to you and your Lucky Flower!"

"This can't be," McTrick mumbled. "No one can have that much luck..."

Suddenly, a big car stopped next to Jimmy. A young man with shades and an expensive suit came out. "McScott?" he asked. "JIM McScott?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yes?"

The man grinned. "I finally found you!" He shook Jimmy's hand. "I'm Rick Rocky from the Rockophone company. I heard one of your groovy songs... and I just can't wait to have you under contract!"

"I can't believe it," Jimmy shouted. "That's what I've always been dreaming of."

The man smiled and gave him a contract. "Sign here before you change your mind."

Jimmy took the piece of paper, pretended reading it and finally wrote his name on it.

'What a pity that this is all fake,' he thought.

When 'Rick Rocky' had left, Jimmy once again jumped into the air. "Now I'm a real rock musician, with a real contract!"

"Now I've seen enough," McTrick shouted angrily. He ran to the old woman. He pulled out 3 pounds. "Give me one of your Lucky Flowers!"

Ukyo smiled. "The price is now 9 pounds each."

"What?" McTrick gasped. But then, he pulled out more money and gave it to her.

'Interests, sugar,' Ukyo thought while grinning inwardly. 'After all, it was a while ago when you tricked the McScotts.'

McTrick took the flower and marched back to his store. "9 pounds, not much money," he snickered. "My good luck will bring it back to me soon enough."

In front of his store, a tall man wearing a suit was standing. McTrick smiled. "Yes, what can I do for you, sir?"

"I'm Jonathan Fisk, tax collector," the man said. "And I think there is a considerable amount of money you're owing us..."

"WHAT?" McTrick was shocked. "But... but... how can that be? I just b-b-bought a Lucky Flower... from that old woman... over... there..."

But the old woman and her flowers were gone.

* * *

Jimmy, Mamoru, Ukyo and Usagi were getting out of the car, still laughing.

"Did you see his face?" Ukyo giggled. "I really can't believe he bought that."

Jimmy couldn't stop laughing. "Man, if I came up with that idea, I would've done it a lot earlier."

Mamoru snickered and wanted to open the door.

But then, he stopped himself.

Usagi stopped laughing. "What's up, Mamo-chan?"

"I don't know..." he said. "Something... is not right. I feel it..."

"Wait, lemme check something..." Ukyo quickly produced her magical scales. Jimmy stared, but didn't say anything.

The right scale slowly descended.

Ukyo gasped. "Something is definitely wrong. Look, the scales are tilting towards darkness... Something evil is inside there!"

"Something evil?" Jimmy asked. "What do you mean?"

"You enter from the front, I'll search for another way," Mamoru said and ran along the castle wall.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?" Jimmy said.

Usagi sighed. "Jimmy... I think we have to tell you one of our greatest secrets... I know we can trust you, so please... promise not to tell anyone what you're about to see, okay?"

Jimmy shrugged. "Yeah, okay... but what...?"

"I'll show you," Usagi said and grasped her locket.

"Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"

Ribbons of light floated around her as she turned into Sailor Moon.

Jimmy stared. "I can't believe it..."

"You see, I'm the sailor suited defender of peace and love, Sailor Moon... and Ukyo is Sailor Libra, and the golden pendant rightfully belongs to her, she needs it as I need this locket to turn into my Senshi form."

"Okay, so I see you're some sort of super hero, I get it... but what about Mamoru? Is he also...?"

"We have no time, Jimmy," Ukyo said in an urgent voice. "I fear something may have happened to your greatuncle and greataunt."

"Huh? But how?" Jimmy scratched his head in confusion. "They're ghosts, after all..."

Usagi smiled. "Trust me, there are many bad things out there that might even harm dead people."

She carefully opened the big double door and peered inside. "No one is there. Ukyo, are the scales still tilting?"

Ukyo nodded. "Yes, they are!"

Usagi shivered. "Aaaah, I can't do this all by myself. If only Ami-chan or Rei-chan were here..."

"Hey, you can't always rely on others," Ukyo told her. "Until I met Ran-chan, I had to train all by myself. But don't worry... I'm here as well, even if I can't use my full powers yet... And remember, Mamoru is around, too."

Usagi nodded. Together, they went inside.

Suddenly, Luna came running down the stairs. "Sailor Moon! Something has possessed Mr. McScott, and he's gone mad."

"As I thought!" Ukyo cursed. "And I still haven't gotten the hang of my powers yet..."

"Where is he?" Jimmy asked. The fact that Luna was talking didn't really faze him anymore.

Luna was surprised, because she didn't see Jimmy at first. "In the dining room," she said. "And your grandaunt... she vanished."

"Let's go and see what we can do," Ukyo said.

* * *

They went to the big dining room. "I can't see him," Usagi said. "Are you sure he's here, Luna?"

"Definitely," her advisor nodded. "He's hiding somewhere..."

Usagi slowly went inside. Ukyo wanted to follow her, but Jimmy held her back. "Wait a minute... What are you going to do to my uncle?"

"Don't worry," Ukyo told him. "As far as I understand it, Usagi's going to heal his spirit from the evil within."

Suddenly, the door slammed shut. Ukyo turned around. "Hey, Usagi! Lemme in!" She hammered against the door.

Inside the dining room, Usagi was pulling at the handle. "It doesn't budge, Ukyo!"

"Watch out, Sailor Moon!" Luna shouted as multiple dishes came flying towards her.

Moon yelped and dodged the flying dinnerware. "Ah! Hey, who's doing this?"

A creepy chuckling could be heard. "Now I've got you trapped... No one is going to take away my precious amulet."

Usagi looked around. She couldn't see anyone. "Sir, we aren't planning on stealing it... but you promised to give it to us, right? I mean, we managed to get those 3 pounds back from Mr. McTrick..."

"LIAR!" the invisible ghost shouted. An armchair shot forward against Usagi's back, and she fell down onto it with a scream.

The wooden armrests wrapped themselves around her body. "Hey!" she screamed. "Lemme go!"

The shimmering form of the ghost descended from the ceiling. An evil aura surrounded his body, and his eyes were glowing in a deep red. He snickered.

Luna hissed. "He's clearly possessed by something. Sailor Moon, try to break free!"

Usagi struggled against her bounds. "I'm trying, I'm trying!"

Outside, Ukyo and Jimmy had tried breaking the door open, but it didn't budge.

"Is there another way to get in there?" she asked. Jimmy shook his head. "No, only from the kitchen... and there's no other door leading to the kitchen."

Suddenly, the ghostly form of Jimmy's greataunt came out of the floor. Ukyo screamed.

"I'm sorry to startle you like this, but we have to hurry! My husband doesn't listen to reason. I overheard you saying he's possessed by something evil, is that true?"

Ukyo nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry."

"I also heard that you need your amulet to help your friend, correct?"

Ukyo looked up at the ghost of the woman in surprise. Again, she nodded.

Betty McScott smiled. "I'll tell you where it is hidden. Go to the library and search in the lowest row of books... Search for a book called 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin'... the amulet is hidden within."

"Come, I'll show you the way," Jimmy shouted. They started running. "Thank you!" Ukyo shouted back.

* * *

Ukyo pulled out the book and took the amulet. Smiling, she looked at the golden pendant with the pair of scales on it, the Zodiac sign for Libra.

"Now I can help your granduncle and my friends." She put the amulet around her neck and grasped it.

"Libra Zodiac Power, Make Up!"

* * *

Luna was hiding under a chair while Sailor Moon was busy clobbering flying teacups with her moon rod. She managed to break free from that armchair, but the never ending assault of household articles made her lose her nerves.

"AAAAAAAHH!" she yelled while thrashing around the flying cups, plates, saucers, napkins and glasses.

"Hm, you've pestered me long enough," the possessed ghost grumbled. "Time to end this..."

And then a drawer full of silverware ripped itself out of a cabinet, and hurled itself towards the panicking Senshi.

"Yikes!" Usagi yelped as she already saw herself gored by knives and forks.

Suddenly, a flying rose flew through the air and knocked the flying drawer down, scattering its contents all over the room.

Usagi let out a sigh of relief, but nearly got a heart attack when one of the forks flew past her head and got stuck in the wall next to her.

In the window, Tuxedo Kamen was standing, his cape fluttering in the breeze.

He smirked. "Well, normally I would come up with some cool-sounding speech, but I think I'm out of speeches... so just end this and heal this man's possessed soul!"

Usagi smirked back at him and nodded.

She raised her rod.

Suddenly, something jumped through the room and snatched away the rod.

"Hey," Sailor Moon shouted in surprise. "My rod!"

The dark figure of the Youma snickered. "You're looking for this?" She held up the rod and waved with it. "Looks like you won't be able to get away this time, Sailor Moon! Now you shall pay for killing my queen!"

Tuxedo Kamen jumped towards the Youma. "Give me that," he shouted.

Duplicas cackled and jumped through the room. "Come and get it!" With a push of dark energy, she blasted the door to pieces. "Throw this intruder out of the castle," she commanded the ghost of McScott.

"I will..." McScott growled. "They will all pay... Never will they get my precious amulet!" Once again, Sailor Moon got bombarded by dishes.

Tuxedo Kamen ran after the Youma that stormed out of the room. "I'll try to get your rod back. Keep him busy!"

Sailor Moon nodded. "Okay!"

One of the dishes hit her shoulder. She yelped.

"All right," she said in an angry tone of voice. "Enough is enough!" She took her tiara from her head and infused it with moon energy.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!" The shimmering boomerang of light flew through the room, hitting every dish that was still flying around.

It flew back into Sailor Moon's hand. She smirked. "Now, can we talk to each other peacefully?"

Just then, Jimmy and Sailor Libra came into the room. 'Ukyo looks great with that yellow skirt,' Usagi thought.

Sailor Libra held up her scales again. "Sailor Moon, the scales tell me that his balance of good and evil is out of control. Someone fueled the evil in his soul and turned him into a being of darkness. Together, we can heal him."

"But that stupid Youma got my rod," Usagi said with a whine.

* * *

Tuxedo Kamen chased Duplicas through the whole castle. In one of the guest rooms, he cornered her.

She snarled. "You always have been a pain in the neck, Endymion!"

"Shut up and give me the rod!" He pulled out his cane and prepared to strike the Youma.

Dupcilas dodged his attack and jumped over his head, to the door. She laughed. "Ready for another chase through the castle?"

Tuxedo Kamen smirked. "No, because I have what I want." He showed her the rod and jumped out of the window.

Duplicas cursed. "Damn you, Endymion..."

* * *

Back in the dining room, the ghost was out of throwing objects, so he used the remaining dinnerware from the kitchen.

Libra raised her hand. "Scale shield!"

A single, giant scale appeared in front of them and protected them from the flying forks and knives.

"I hope Mamoru is back soon," Ukyo said. "I don't think we can hide behind this shield forever."

Usagi was nervous. "Mamo-chaaan, hurry up!"

Just then Tuxedo Kamen appeared in the window. "Sailor Moon! Catch!"

He threw the rod and Usagi caught it. She smiled at her love. "Thanks."

Ukyo took a look at Mamoru's costume and sweat-dropped. "A top hat and such a silly-looking mask... boy, we really have to get you some new battle clothes."

Then she closed her eyes. On her forehead, the symbol of Libra appeared. "Sailor Moon, I'll lend you my power... Libra Power!"

Sailor Moon felt the power of balance flowing through her body. She raised her rod. "I will restore the balance of good and evil within you!"

She spun around her moon rod while a pair of scales appeared behind her.

"Libra Healing Escalation!"

While she shouted this, the scales behind her slowly tilted back until they were both at the same level again. A shining light surrounded the ghost of Mr. McScott.

Groaning, he sank down to the ground. The evil aura that surrounded him had disappeared.

From the shadows, Duplicas watched. "Curses," she muttered. "Foiled again!" Then she disappeared in a cloud of dust.

* * *

After a little while, everything had calmed down. Jimmy looked around the trashed dining room and sighed. That would take long to tidy up...

Above him, his uncle was sitting on the chandelier and looked very miserable. His wife patted him on the back.

"I don't know what came over me..." the old McScott moaned. "How can I face my ancestors like this? Shame on me..."

"There, there," his wife said. "It's all fine now, it was just that bad demon..."

"Too bad the Youma got away," Mamoru angrily grumbled. "But our top priority was to help Mr. McScott, so I couldn't stay behind to catch it..."

"It's okay, Mamo-chan, you did great," Usagi smiled.

"Anyway, no matter what happened, I thank you," the old ghost said. "And of course I'll give this amulet to you... I realized that you are destined to carry it, lass!"

Ukyo smiled. "Thank you, sir!"

"Hey, we didn't tell you how we managed to trick old McTrick," Jimmy suddenly said. "And we got the 3 pounds back."

"You did?" McScott asked in surprise. "My dear boy... I'm so proud of you!" He sniffled. "Now... I think I can rest in peace... I'll be a respectable ghost from now on!"

Jimmy turned to his friends. "You know, you all did a good job... Especially when you impersonated that man from the music company! Everything seemed so real..."

Mamoru scratched his head. "What man? We only acted twice... Usagi as the woman from the lottery, and myself as the man on the bike..."

Jimmy gasped. He pulled out the contract.

"I can't believe it..." he murmured. "That contract is for real..." He cheered with joy. "Then I really am a real rock musician now! Whoohoo!"

His granduncle smiled. "And from now on, you can sing and play your guitar in this castle as much as you like, dear nephew!"

Jimmy smiled at him. "Thanks, Uncle Eric!"

"Well, I think we have to leave soon," Mamoru said. "We found Ukyo's amulet... and I don't believe the Youma will come back soon. So I guess we take our things and leave... our other friends will come home soon as well, I'm sure."

"Of course," Eric McScott nodded. "But, before you go... could you do me a... small favor?"

* * *

When the small car drove away from the McScott castle, the walls seemed to shake as Jimmy whooped it up with his music.

"What did Mr. McScott want, Mamoru?" Luna curiously asked.

Mamoru chuckled. "He asked me if I had a pair of earplugs."

Ukyo giggled. "I guess he'll need them..." She sighed and looked at her amulet happily. "I wonder if the others have been successful as well..."


	6. The Virgo Amulet

"Is this the correct town?" Artemis asked.

Makoto nodded and looked at the small brochure in her hands. "Yup! Vogue Hills, a small town near San Francisco... And according to Sting's little pendulum, the Virgo Amulet must be somewhere around here."

Venus sighed. "I wish we'd have some time... I'd love to visit San Francisco... I heard there's some kind of famous bridge... The Silver Gate Bridge, right?"

Kasumi giggled. "I think it's called the 'Golden Gate Bridge', Minako-chan."

"Oh, yeah, I knew that!"

They walked past the small houses, which all looked nearly identical. It seemed to be a very quiet and relaxing little town.

Makoto looked at one of the houses, checked her map and nodded. "This must be the right address. Kasumi, your amulet has to be in this house."

Kasumi smiled. "That's great! I hope whoever lives here is a nice person and is willing to give it to us..."

While they were walking towards the front door, Minako looked at a sign that was standing in the garden.

"Fred Frilly," she read. "Fashion Designer..." She giggled. "Perhaps he's willing to make us some cute new outfits..."

Artemis shook his head while looking out of his basket. "Minako, don't be silly..."

Makoto grinned. "Well, a girl can dream, can she?" She pressed the bell button.

* * *

The black-haired archeologist and martial artist sighed. "Mr. Frilly, is there really no other way?"

The handsome young man smoothed out his hair. His white teeth flashed as he gave Jackie Chan a cocky grin. "Of course not, Mr. Chan! While I understand how much the museum would like to have the golden amulet, I just can't give it away like this." He chuckled. "After all, it belonged to my dear father."

"Ouch!"

"Oh, excuse me!"

Jackie gritted his teeth as he let the fashion designer measure his body. But did he have to pin him with that needle?

"Please raise your left arm a little higher!"

Jackie sighed and did what Frilly told him.

Jackie's niece Jade sat on a chair in the corner of the room and giggled. "That jacket suits you, Uncle Jackie!"

Jackie groaned. "But... I don't think frills are really my style..."

"But just imagine..." Fred Frilly spread his hands in a dramatic gesture. "What a great advertising material this will be. I can already see the slogan: 'The famous archeologist, Jackie Chan, is wearing Fred Frilly's creations...' Sounds good, huh?"

Jackie sighed again. What he had to endure just because of some golden pendant... and he didn't even know if it's that important.

But if it really is something magical, he had to get it before the Dark Hand would learn from its existence.

Jade swung her legs back and forth. "Jackie, this is so boring... When you told me I could come with you, I was hoping we would explore some old ruins... or perhaps some cavern within the African jungle."

"Jade, an archeologist's life is not an adventurer's life, keep that in mind! And you know I don't want you to go to such dangerous places."

Suddenly, the door bell rang. "Oh, excuse me for a moment," Fred smiled. "I'll be right back... And please don't move!"

Jackie kept standing in the middle of the room, his arms spread, wearing some silver-glittering, silly-looking suit with frills that made him look like an idiot.

* * *

The door opened. "Yes?"

Three smiling Japanese girls were looking at him. "Excuse me, sir," the eldest said. "Are you Mr. Fred Frilly?"

Fred gave them his cocky smile. "That I am!"

Minako and Makoto almost swooned. Their eyes sparkled.

"He's sooo handsome," Minako gushed.

"He looks exactly like my old sempai," Makoto murmured.

"In your dreams," Minako muttered.

Kasumi didn't notice what the two other girls were doing behind her back and smiled. "We heard that there is a certain golden pendant within your house, and we are interested in acquiring it."

Fred scratched his chin. That could be a problem...

"Well, I really do have something like this..."

"It has a picture of a beautiful girl on it, right?" Kasumi asked.

"Yes, yes, exactly! But forgive me, where are my manners?" He gestured inside. "Please, come in! Then we can talk more."

He led them to the living room, where Jackie was still standing. "May I introduce you to Mr. Jackie Chan? A famous archeologist from San Francisco!"

Jackie smiled at the girls. "Good afternoon, everyone!"

Minako grinned. "He looks cute as well..."

Kasumi bowed. "Nice to meet you, Chan-san!"

"Oh, you're Japanese?"

Kasumi nodded. "Yes, we're from Tokyo! I live in Nerima and my friends are from Juuban! My name is Kasumi Tendo, and these are Makoto Kino and Minako Aino!"

Fred Frilly smiled. "Mr. Chan also asked me for the amulet, so you see I'm in a difficult situation here..."

"Oh dear..." Kasumi said. "What now?"

Jackie sighed. "Mr. Frilly... could we continue with the measurement later?"

"Oh, of course!" He removed the needles from the jacket and Jackie took it off.

Jade was jumping off her chair and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Jade Chan, Jackie's assistant!"

Kasumi smiled. What a nice little girl! "Oh, I'm pleased to meet you!"

Jade grinned. "You know, Jackie and I are always trying to find magical artifacts from all around the world, so the bad guys won't get them. We have already been to Egypt, Brazil, Spain, England..."

"Jade, please..." Jackie whispered.

Makoto frowned when she heard that. Magical artifacts? How much did this man know about the Zodiac Amulets?

Jackie coughed. "Well, Miss Tendo... I'm sure we can find a solution for all this... but you know, this amulet surely is a very valuable piece of art... and therefore, it belongs into a museum."

'What should I do?' Kasumi pondered. 'I can't just tell him of my destiny as a Sailor Senshi, can I?'

Fred Frilly grinned. He would let them talk about it, and in the end, he would offer it to whoever offered him the most money.

Although he was hoping that Mr. Chan would be the one... Or else he could forget his advertising material...

"Well, I suggest we..." Suddenly, it got dark outside.

"Huh?" Frilly murmured. "Now that's strange! Is there an eclipse today or what?"

Then, a loud rumbling could be heard, and the house began shaking.

"Another earthquake?" Jade groaned. "That's what I don't like about living in California..."

But Jackie didn't say anything. He only looked outside.

"Um, Mr. Chan?" Minako asked in a worried voice. "Are you sick? You're shaking..."

"What's up, Uncle Jackie?" Jade asked. Her uncle just raised a finger and pointed outside.

And they all saw the giant spaceship that was just landing in front of the house. Makoto gulped. Where did that come from? It was nearly as big as Rubeus' ship...

It somehow resembled the 'flying saucers' that appeared in several old movies. It was so big that it's front and back sides almost touched the roofs of the houses on both sides of the street.

Fred looked like he had a heart attack. Kasumi gasped. Artemis nearly had an accident. Minako said: "Holy sh..." Jackie just mumbled: "Bad day, bad day, bad day..."

With a loud 'BOOM' the spaceship landed. A hatch opened on its underside. A catwalk slowly got extended...

Kasumi smiled and shrugged. "Well, maybe they're peaceful..."

Jade looked up at the giant ship in awe. "Cool, real aliens... When I tell this to Paco..."

"We're gonna die, we're gonna die..." Frilly mumbled.

Minako and Makoto exchanged a worried look. Whenever aliens were coming to Tokyo, it meant trouble. They remembered Ali and En too well... and they wouldn't ever forget Fiore, or the Snow Queen...

"There!" Jade shouted. "They are deboarding... What do you suppose they look like, Jackie? Big, green and slimy?"

Jackie just groaned.

But the three figures walking down the catwalk didn't look very menacing at all. Actually, they looked like three pretty, young women, dressed in some sort of spandex suits... The only weird thing was their skin color, which was a light blue.

'I wonder if I should call Captain Black?' Jackie thought. 'But I think he wouldn't believe me...'

The three alien women reached the big terrace and were now standing in front of the garden door. One of them pulled out a device that resembled a gun. She activated it, and a gleaming red beam cut a big hole in the wall.

Satisfied, she put it away and stepped into the room.

"Relax, earthlings," she said in a pleasant voice. "We come in peace! We mean you no harm! We're Amazons... from the planet Vyrx."

Kasumi blinked. Amazons? She wondered if they knew Shampoo and her tribe.

She extended a hand. "Oh, then I welcome you on Earth! I'm Kasumi, and these are my friends."

Fred laughed nervously. "Is she... always that calm about such things?" he whispered to Minako. The blonde girl shrugged. "From what I heard, yes, she is."

Jade jumped forward. "Are you really aliens? Can I look at your ship? How far away is your planet? Have you a big laser cannon?"

"Jade, let me talk to them!" Her uncle pulled her back. "Umm... hello! I'm Jackie... Uh... can you tell us why you are here?"

The amazon smiled. "It's a long story... but to make it short, we're here because of HIM!" And she pointed at Fred Frilly.

"ME?" he squeaked. "But why?"

The woman smiled. "Well, you see... You have to know that our planet is actually very small, but every single one of us is addicted to pretty clothes. We have a special holiday where our queen is giving her daughter a special dress... and she has to wear it for a whole year. But that's not all, every mother has to give her daughter a dress that is exactly looking like the one the queen made for her daughter."

Fred forgot his fear and scratched his head. "What an interesting planet..."

The alien woman sighed. "But, sadly... This year, our fashion designers are out of ideas... they just can't come up with a great design for a dress... and 'Fashion Day', as this holiday is called in your language, is in only four of your Earth days. So our queen decided to use her last trump card... YOU!"

Fred blinked.

"That's the most silly thing I've ever heard," Minako said quietly to Makoto. "I mean, every girl should be able to choose herself what kind of dress she wants to wear..."

"At least they're not here to take over our planet..."

"But... but I'm not that good," Fred finally protested. "I'm afraid I'm just average..."

"He's right," Jade nodded. "Just take a look at this horrible jacket!"

"Don't be so modest," the alien smiled. "We already know everything about you... we watched you with our invisible cameras. There may be many great designers, but YOU are the number one!"

She grabbed him. "So... we're just taking you along with us!"

"S-s-stop," the fashion designer shouted. "Lemme go! I... I have to think about it!"

"No time for that," one of the other alien women said. "We have to leave now."

Fred struggled against their grip, but the amazons seemed to be pretty strong.

"Hey, you can't just take the man away against his will," Makoto shouted.

"Of course we can," the woman smiled. "We're stronger than him... and after all, he's just an inferior man!"

Kasumi smiled. Yes, sounds very much like the amazons of China...

"I won't let you abduct a helpless human," Jade shouted. "Jade KICK!"

Her foot hit the woman's leg hard... but nothing happened.

Jade blinked, then grinned. "Oops?"

The amazon just frowned, grabbed the girl and threw her across the room.

Jade crashed right into a big pile of clothes.

The amazon smirked. "Now I suggest you let us leave in peace." She walked towards the ship.

"We have to stop them," Jackie shouted as the amazons were throwing Fred into the hatch.

"Hey, I didn't like him anyway," Minako grumbled. "And besides, we can just take the amulet."

"But that's exactly what I meant," Jackie said. "He has the amulet, in his pocket!"

The others gasped. "Quick, we can't let them escape," Makoto shouted and ran after the woman. The others followed her.

But before they could enter the ship, the hatch closed.

Minako couldn't stop in time and ran against the closed hatch. "Ouch!" she grumbled and rubbed her bump. "Great! Now what do we do?"

Suddenly, a whistle made them turn around.

"Here," Jade shouted from the other side of the ship. "Here's a small hatch... looks like the storage room."

"I have no choice," Jackie shouted. "I have to follow them..." He ran around the ship and jumped into the hatch. Jade followed him inside. He shook his head. "No, Jade! This is too dangerous! Get out!"

"Awwww," she said before jumping out again.

Kasumi smiled and climbed in. "Oh, this will be a most interesting journey. I've never been on another planet before..."

Minako smirked and threw her basket inside the ship. Artemis yowled as the basket hit the floor.

"Are you sure you want to come as well?" Jackie asked. "This is dangerous."

"Don't worry!" Makoto winked. "We can take care of ourselves."

She and Minako climbed aboard as well, and Jackie pressed a button to close the hatch.

Jade looked at the closing hatch and suddenly grinned. "Hey, he didn't tell me not to climb in again, right?" And just before the hatch closed, she quickly slipped in.

Several minutes later, the ship started its engines and flew up, towards the stars...

* * *

"What were you thinking, Jade?" Jackie was angry. "I thought I told you not to come in here."

"You didn't, Jackie," his niece grinned. "You just told me to get out... once!"

"But I meant you should stay out. I want you to go out now!"

Makoto looked out of a window and smirked. "Too late for that, I'm afraid... we're already passing the moon."

Jackie groaned. "How can this day get any worse...?"

Jade grinned. "I thought you knew better than to say that... Because if you say that, it's always getting worse."

Jackie held his head. "Jade, please let me think for a while... I have to think of a way how we're going to go back when we have the amulet..."

Minako was checking the door. "It's locked tight. The only way out of here would be the hatch we came in. Guess we have to wait until we reach our goal... How do you say, out of the freezer, into the stove!"

"I guess you mean 'Out of the frying pan, into the fire'," Jackie mumbled weakly.

Kasumi looked around the room. "I think this will be a great opportunity to learn more about different cultures... even if it's an alien culture."

"Why do you need the amulet anyway?" Jade asked curiously. "You don't look like a museum in Tokyo or something like that sent you."

Kasumi smiled. "You're pretty smart for a girl of your age, Jade."

Jade beamed. Then she winced. "Ouch, I think I scratched my leg when I jumped in..."

"Oh let me take a look..." Jade sat down and Kasumi pulled up her pant's leg.

"Hmm, it's really just a scratch, but perhaps I can help with that..."

Kasumi already knew from her dreams that Sailor Virgo also had the power to heal wounds. So she just put her hand on Jade's knee and closed her eyes. A warm light engulfed the knee, and the wound vanished.

Jade was staring. "No way! You can do magic?"

"Kasumi, was it really necessary to show her your powers?" Makoto asked. "It was only a scratch, after all."

"That's okay," Jade said excited. "I already know about magic... Actually, I already used some magic myself."

"You did?" Kasumi asked in surprise.

"Well, not by myself... But you see, Jackie found those magical talismans, and they give you all kinds of cool powers, and I used them often when we were on a dangerous adventure."

"Jade, the talismans were supposed to be a secret," Jackie sighed. "Okay, I guess after you used your... unusual abilities to help her, it's only fair that you know about that as well..."

And he stood up with a sigh, not noticing Artemis' tail...

"OUCH!"

Jackie looked around in confusion. "Huh? Who said that?"

"No one," Artemis said quickly.

Minako groaned. That wasn't the best way to react.

"A talking cat?" Jade asked. "Wow! You must be those Sailor Scouts from Japan! I heard from you on TV, but they always said you only were a myth. But I remember the reporters saying that they also had talking cats with them."

"That's Sailor SENSHI," Minako corrected her. "Honestly, those Americans always translate our name wrong."

"Minako... do you have to tell her everything?" Artemis moaned while licking his hurt tail.

Kasumi smiled. "Oh, I think now that we're the only humans aboard this alien spaceship, I think it's best that we don't have any secrets from each other."

Jade nodded. "That's right, and we're gonna blow up that ship and those amazons with your cool superpowers, while Jackie shows them who's boss, and I'll help with the talismans!" And she took one of the small stone tablets out of her pocket.

"Jade!" Jackie groaned again. "You did it again... Why do you have to take the talismans from Section 13 every time I'll take you with me?" He really wondered how she managed to get past security every time...

"So I can save your butt when you're in trouble?" she grinned.

Makoto chuckled. Jackie sure has his hands full with that little girl. But as Jade seemed to be a pretty smart girl, she assumed she was able to take care of herself. Actually, she was amazed at that kick she attacked the amazon with, back on earth. Of course the amazon was stronger than a normal human being, but Makoto easily saw the potential hidden within that girl. If Jackie would train her some more, she really would be a great help.

Then she looked out of the window again. "Guys, I think we're about to land..."

Minako smiled. "Okay, then let's see if we can free Mr. Frilly from the amazon's clutches."

"Lemme see..." Minako pushed a button. "Damn, it doesn't work! Why doesn't the hatch open?"

"It must be jammed," Makoto assumed. "Here, let me try it..." She pulled with all her might, but the hatch only moved a little. She let go of it and panted hardly. "Whew... this is harder than I thought..."

Jade smirked. "Allow me." She pulled out one of the Talismans - the Ox Talisman.

Jade smirked as she felt the strength of the ox flow through her body. She walked over to the hatch and with a powerful yank, she ripped it open.

"There, easy, huh?"

Makoto whistled. "Wow, these Talismans sure are useful. Good thing you brought them along, Jade."

"Yes, but they belong in Section 13," Jackie said with a frown. "Just taking them like that is called stealing."

"Aw, spare us the lecture," Minako said as she jumped out of the hatch, together with Artemis. Jackie sighed, then he climbed out as well. The others followed them.

"Looks like the pilots and Fred already left," Minako said. "Well, we just have to find him, then."

"Yes, but we have to be careful," Artemis said. "We don't know how those aliens will react if they see humans here on the planet."

They looked around. The ship was standing in some kind of hangar, with only some surveillance robots walking around. Carefully, they sneaked past them and left the building.

Shortly afterwards, they were walking on the streets of Vyrx's capital city. The buildings weren't very big, but looked very futuristic. Several thin towers were rising into the air, and hovering cars were driving along the streets.

And every single person they were seeing was female.

"I wonder where all the men are," Minako said and looked around. "Damn, this is not a good place to do some guy-hunting..."

"I also realized that most of them actually have a normal skin color, only the soldier women's faces are blue," Kasumi said. "Maybe we can make them believe that we are from Vyrx as well."

"Good idea," Makoto nodded.

So they just wandered on the street, behaving like normal pedestrians, all the while inconspicuously keeping an eye open for Fred Frilly.

Suddenly, two of the amazon soldiers came towards them. "Good work," one of them said. "I see you managed to capture a male specimen. We'll take him to prison, don't worry!" And they grabbed Jackie hard.

"H-hey..." he protested weakly.

"Hey, this might be our big chance," Jade whispered to her new friends. "We can follow them, I'm sure they will bring Jackie to where Fred is."

Minako suppressed a chuckle. She liked that girl. To the soldiers, she nodded. "Yes, take him away, so he won't make any trouble."

"W-wait a second," Jackie shouted. "W-what are you doing? Jade, tell them the truth..."

One of the soldiers whacked him on the head. "Silence, male! You only speak if we tell you to. Now, come on, we'll take you to the queen."

And while they dragged poor Jackie along, he quietly muttered: "Bad day, bad day..."

"Oh my," Kasumi murmured. "I hope they will treat him nice."

They waited until the soldiers and Jackie were some distance away, then followed them quietly.

"Those amazons are even stricter to males than the amazons from China I know," Kasumi said. "I wonder what happened that made them act like this..."

"I don't know, and I really don't want to know," Makoto replied. "I mean, feminine pride is all right, but not like that!"

Minako grinned down at Artemis. "I can think of someone who could use some time in a jail cell..." Her face changed to a dark expression. "...because he once snatched away my tuna sandwich!"

Artemis groaned. "You still mad about that? Can't you just drop the subject?"

* * *

"They sure are walking a long way," Kasumi commented as they followed the guards to wherever they were taking Jackie...

"But I think they arrived," Makoto suddenly shouted. "Look over there!"

The soldiers stood in front of a big building that was by no means as big as a normal castle or palace would be, but it looked nevertheless like someone very RICH lived there.

Minako blinked. "My eyes! It's so bright, I can't see anything!"

Artemis shook his head. "We had gorgeous castles and houses in the Silver Millennium, but not as shiny and glittering as that building."

"Their planet may be small, but also wealthy," Makoto assumed.

The soldiers were opening a big door and led Jackie inside.

After the door closed, the Senshi and Jade looked around. "There are no guards in front of the mansion?" Minako wondered. "Lousy security..."

"Perhaps they don't need it," Kasumi said. "Perhaps they're all living in peace and harmony..."

"Well, at least the women," Jade grumbled. "Okay, if there are no guards, we can get in easily. We only have to find the queen's chamber... or the prison."

They carefully looked around and entered the big mansion.

Artemis sighed. "What's up, Artemis?" Minako asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," the white cat replied. "Although... I wonder what Luna is doing just now..."

Kasumi smiled. "You like her, do you, Artemis?"

He blushed under his fur. "Well, yeah, I think so... even if we squabble sometimes... But I hope she's all right. I think I miss her a little bit..." He chuckled. "Oh well, when she's back from Scotland... and we from outer space... I'll see her again. And then she can tell me..."

"IMBECILE! IDIOT! JERK!"

They all got startled when the booming voice suddenly echoed through the hallway. It came right from the door they were walking past.

"You don't suppose that..." Makoto mumbled and pointed at the door.

Quickly, they all pressed their ears against the wood.

"But your majesty," a whiny voice just said. "I won several prizes with this model back on earth."

"That's Fred," Jade said. "Let's take a look..."

"Be careful," Makoto said. "If they see you..."

Jade grinned. "Oh, they won't see me... Not if I have the Snake Talisman!" And, using the Talisman's power, she turned invisible.

Carefully, she opened the door, sneaked inside, and closed it.

She was standing in a big bedroom. Fred Frilly was standing in front of the queen, a quite... corpulent woman wearing a formal gown and a crown. Next to them stood an amazon wearing a dress - perhaps one of Fred's creations. On the bed, looking bored, sat a younger girl, reading a magazine. Two guards were standing at the wall. Jade noticed how the skin of the queen and the other girl was green, not blue. That means the girl must be the princess.

"I don't care," the queen replied in her screeching voice. "I just cannot say how ugly this dress is! This is Vyrx, planet of fashion! What may be chic from where you are from is only junk in my eyes! When I heard about you, I was hoping you would be better than all of the other designers on your miserable planet..."

She turned around to her daughter. "Don't you agree, sweetheart?"

The princess didn't reply.

Angrily, the queen pulled something out of her daughter's ears. "Quit listening to music when I talk to you!"

The princess sighed. "Yes, mom..."

The queen shook her head. "Now, let's take a look at the other two exemplars..."

Fred gulped and nodded. He waved, and the guards let in another girl wearing a skirt and a leather jacket.

"Teenaged girls on our planet seem to like this one, your maj..."

"NO! NO! NO!" the queen shouted.

"Okay..." Fred sweated. The next girl came in. "And this is my master piece..."

"AAAAAAAH!" the queen screamed. "HORRIBLE!" She fumed. "GET THIS IMBECILE OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Jade sweated. That queen had quite an attitude. 'Looks like Jackie is not here,' she thought. 'Well, time to go...'

She turned around to leave, but accidentally bumped against a potted plant standing next to the door. It fell over with a loud 'THUD'. 'Oops!'

"Who's there?" the queen shouted. "Show yourself!"

The two guards looked around the room. "I can't see anyone, your majesty," one of them said.

"Activate your scanners," the second one said.

They pulled out strange devices that looked like colored glasses and put them on. They slowly looked through the whole room, until one of them pointed to where Jade was standing. "There! An intruder!"

Jade yelped as she realized that they could see her, deactivated the Talisman's power and ran out of the room. "Time to go!" she told her friends.

"After them!" one of the soldiers shouted.

Jade ran around the corner, screamed and came back. "They're coming from there as well," she shouted.

"Looks like we're surrounded," Minako said.

"I'm not going down without a fight," Makoto snarled.

They grabbed their transformation pens.

"JUPITER STAR POWER, MAKE UP!" "VENUS STAR POWER, MAKE UP!"

"Cooooool," Jade said in awe.

The guards didn't look impressed. They raised their spear-like weapons and pressed a button. Shimmering energy blades jutted out of their weapons, surrounded by a crackling field of electricity.

"Attack!" the captain shouted, and her amazon warriors stormed forward.

* * *

Jackie struggled against the guard's grip as she pulled him towards the cellar. "Down there is our only cell... but don't worry, you won't be there for long." She grinned.

'That does it,' Jackie thought. 'Woman or not, there's NO way I'm staying here.'

"I'm sorry, wasn't that just Mr. Spock?"

"Huh?" the amazon asked and looked where he gestured. He slipped out of her grasp, pushed her away with a quick "Sorry..." and began running.

"Get back here!" the guard shouted. She pulled out a device. "All right, let's see how well he does against our jailmaster..."

Jackie reached a junction, looked left and right and decided to take the right way. It ended at a metal door.

"Hopefully this is the way outside..." he murmured and opened it.

In front of him, something very big was standing... an enormous metal colossus with scary-looking claws and gleaming eyes.

"VERY BAD DAY!!" Jackie screamed as the guard robot chased him back the way he came. This time, he took the other way...

He reached a stairway and quickly ran up. The robot was able to follow him with an amazing speed, for something that big.

They passed the mansion's kitchen. Through the door, Jackie saw a big, metal plate lying on a table.

He took it. "I'm sorry, I'll return it later, thank you!" he quickly said to the flabbergasted female servant who was just going to put some prepared snacks on the plate.

Just as the robot caught up with him, Jackie used the plate to defend himself from the metal claws. He tried kicking the machine, but it felt like he was kicking a rock.

When he slowly walked backwards, they came close to the other battlefield in the mansion, where Jupiter and Venus were battling the guards.

"Crescent Beam!" shouted Minako and knocked one of the guards down. "Oh my god, look at that killer robot," she shouted when she spotted Jackie and his opponent.

Makoto kicked one of the spear-like weapons out of its owner's hands and shouted back: "Take care of these amazons for me, I'll take care of the big one!"

"Got it!" Minako nodded, and they exchanged places.

Jupiter took aim. "Jackie, duck!"

Jackie looked around in confusion. "Huh? Where's a duck?"

"Supreme Thunder!"

Jackie turned around, yelped when he saw the electric attack flying his way and dove to the ground. The electricity flew over his head, singed his hair and hit the robot.

ZZZZAAAAAAPPPPP!!

Electrocuted by more than 1.000 Volt that surged through his body, the robot twitched around helplessly. Then, he fell down to the ground.

Meanwhile, Kasumi had walked over to Fred. "Please, give me the amulet, we need it!"

"All right, all right," he shouted in panic. "Take the damn amulet, but get me out of here!"

She smiled as she took it. "Thank you!"

She put it on and grasped it. "Now, what do I say?" she murmured. "Oh yes, I know...

Virgo Zodiac Power, Make Up!"

A flash of light, the image of Virgo in the background, and Kasumi turned into Sailor Virgo.

She smoothed out her pink skirt. "Very nice! But I'm afraid I have to hurry now..."

The princess looked at her in awe. "How pretty..." she murmured.

The queen didn't seem to notice what happened behind her. "Get them," she cheered her troops on. "Throw them in the cell! Hit them, kick them, poke their eyes out!"

"Oh my," Sailor Virgo murmured. "She definitely needs to calm down."

She clasped her hands. "Aura of Serenity!"

A golden glow surrounded her body and filled the minds of the people in the room with peace.

"What a... nice feeling..." Fred murmured.

"Oooooh..." the princess said. "I feel so... relaxed."

The queen stopped her ranting and blinked. "Aaaaaah... wonderful! I haven't felt like this... for ages!" She sighed deeply. "Ooooh, let's forget about that silly fighting. Why don't we all just talk about it in peace. We can drink a nice cup of tea..."

Kasumi smiled. "Yes, exactly!"

The princess coughed. "Guards, put down your weapons! My mother just invited our guests to a cup of tea. Tell the kitchen we have... six guests. And take away that rubbish!" She gestured towards the unmoving robot.

Jade whistled. "Wow! Now that's a cool princess! However, I was hoping I could use some more of the Talismans..." She looked down at the Rabbit Talisman in her hand. "Well, some other time, perhaps..."

* * *

Queen Gala took another sip from her tea cup.

"I really have to apologize... but, you see... I was getting really desperate. Fashion Day is our most important holiday... and I couldn't bear the thought that my little darling Dala..." She threw her daughter an affectionate smile. "...would get no dress."

Dala sighed. She really didn't care that much about Fashion Day, but if her mother insisted...

"I'm curious about one thing," Jupiter spoke up. "Where are all the men? Until now, we've only seen female residents of Vyrx."

"Of course," the queen smiled. "That is... because there are no men on Vyrx. Our nation consists only of females."

"How can that be?" Jackie wondered. "If you don't have any males, how can you... um, you know... reproduce?"

"With cloning, of course," the queen said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "You see, there was once war between our race and the warrior race from planet Torrg. The nation of Torrg only consisted of men... and they were intent on subduing our people with force. So we had to defend ourselves... In the end, Torrg and its population got completely destroyed... But from that day on, I'm afraid most of our people developed an intensive hatred towards men."

Venus spoke up: "Um, no offense, but without men on your planet, I think you're missing something good." She chuckled. "So, does that mean your people never had, um, you know... sex?"

"Minako!" Artemis scolded her.

The queen and princess blinked in confusion. "Sex?" Princess Dala asked. "What's sex?"

Fred Frilly groaned. "Great..." he murmured under his breath. "I've been abducted by a tribe of virgins..."

Kasumi frowned and took a look at her amulet. Strange that the Virgo pendant found its way to a planet populated by virgins...

The princess looked like she wanted to say something, she fidgeted around and opened her mouth, just to close it again. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered something into her ear.

Queen Gala listened, and finally nodded and smiled. She turned to her guests. "Well, I think my daughter likes your pretty uniforms, dears." She gestured towards the Senshi. "And she just asked me if it would be possible if we could use them as a base for our new dress on Fashion Day. Please... would you allow me to use them as a model?"

Makoto and Minako exchanged looks and grinned. Looks like the Senshi fuku found favor with the residents of Vyrx.

"Sure," Minako finally nodded. "But only if you can somehow get us back to earth."

* * *

Some time later, Jackie, Jade, Fred and the Senshi were waiting inside a room of the space port. Through a big window, they could see one of the amazon's big ships that was going to take them back to earth.

Jackie sighed. "I guess taking the amulet to the museum... or Section 13... is out of question, huh?"

Kasumi smiled. "I'm afraid so. You see, these amulets were created for the Zodiac Senshi as me... And only the reincarnated versions of the original Senshi can use them."

"You have to tell me more about this 'reincarnation' stuff some time," Jade said. "But for now, I'm satisfied with today's adventure."

She held up one of the Talismans. "And when the time is right, I'll show you the cool powers of the other Talismans."

"Oh no, you don't," Jackie said in a stern voice. "Jade, give them back, they don't belong to you."

Jade giggled and blew a raspberry. "Come and get me first," she shouted and activated the Rabbit Talisman!

Jackie ran after his high-speed-niece. "Jade, come back here right now!"


	7. The Capricorn Amulet

"My mistress!" Duplicas threw herself to the ground of the dark, dusty cave. "Forgive me! I failed!"

"Get up, Duplicas," a female voice muttered. "And don't make a scene, you're despicable!"

The dark figure on the throne hidden within the shadows sighed. "Well, doesn't matter... they still have to find the other Zodiac Senshi... they will only be a threat to my plans when they are all together. You did place the parchment in that cave?"

"Oh yes, mistress!" The Youma bowed down again. "The old pervert found it, as you planned."

"Good, good... Well, I must say, despite the Senshi's achievements, my plans are working out quite well... and we still have our trump card. They would never expect for one of their own to work with the enemy... isn't that right, darling?"

A slight giggle came out of the darkness, as a fuku-clad girl stepped forward.

"Well, I think I need a little more chaos for my plans... Sailor Capricorn, be a dear and wreak a little havoc in your hometown, okay? This will be sufficient for this week."

The girl looked up with strangely glowing eyes. In an eery voice, she spoke up:

"Oh, Little Azusa is SOOOOOO looking forward to play games. Think of all the cute little things I'm gonna find..."

* * *

"Finally back in Tokyo," Makoto said. "Hey, Minako, what's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing, really... But... I just want to know why those alien amazons couldn't send us back directly to Japan..." Kasumi giggled. "Well, it's not like we had much time to tell them..."

"Yeah, I know," the blonde with the red bow sighed. "It was just 'Bzzzzt', and this freaky yellow beam hit us, and in the next instant, we're sitting in a spaceship flying back to California..."

"I'm lucky that we managed to come back to earth at all," Artemis grumbled.

They entered the big arrival hall and looked around. "Hey, over there are Nabiki and Rei," Makoto shouted and waved. The other two girls had already spotted them and were plowing through the crowd.

"Hey there, fellow teammates," Nabiki grinned and held up her shining amulet.

"Yeah, just tell everyone in this room who we are," Rei grumbled.

"Hey, it's not like they know what I'm talking about, right?"

Minako giggled. "I believe Nabiki is beginning to act as careless as her advisor..."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" a muffled voice came out of the bag hanging around Nabiki's body.

"Shut up," Nabiki said and knocked against the bag. "Ouch!" Sting shouted.

Just then, another Senshi group arrived. Ranma was once again wet and in girl form, and Akane and Ami seemed to find something funny, as they were both laughing.

Kasumi smiled. "Hello, Ranma-chan! What was it this time?"

"Aw, only some lady at the cafe drinking a glass of water and accidentally pouring it over my head..." She sighed.

"So, how was Germany?" Nabiki asked Ami. Ami smiled. "Oh, it was exciting! We saw the Brandenburg Gate, and we got to know the ringmaster of a German circus... I tell you, the methods of those animal trainers in Germany, they are..."

Rei put a hand on Ami's mouth. "Ami, please... I've just come back from the jungle and I'm in no mood to listen to one of your lectures."

"Now only Ucchan, Usagi and Mamoru are missing," Ranma realized. "Any sign of them?"

"Not yet," Makoto shook her head. "But I think their plane must already have landed, so they must be here any minute..."

* * *

Usagi, Mamoru and Ukyo were already leaving the plane, but it was a little slow, as there were so many people getting out.

"Aw, come on, hurry up," Usagi whined. "I can't wait to be back home and have a warm bubble bath and a piece of mom's cheesecake..."

"Hey, we'll be out of here soon enough, sugar," Ukyo said from behind her.

When they walked down the gangway, they were surprised to see a big crowd of reporters and policemen standing there.

"What's going on here?" Usagi wondered. "I'm not that famous, you know?"

"Hey, get away from there," one of the reporters shouted. "You're in the way! We want to see the great Cipasso!"

Usagi, Mamoru and Ukyo quickly went down the gangway and looked back. And indeed, behind them, they could see the unmistakable face of one of the greatest painters and sculptors on earth: Cablo Cipasso!

"Unbelievable," Mamoru shouted. "We were in the same plane as this famous man and we didn't even know it?"

"I'm not too much into paintings and the like, but I know he's one of the best," Ukyo nodded. "Hey look, he's even carrying one of his newer masterpieces."

She was right, Cipasso was holding up a small, golden sculpture that resembled a rearing horse. Flashlights were flashing all over the place as the reporters tried to get a good picture of the famous artist and his work.

Mamoru, Ukyo and Usagi slowly made their way to the airport building, where there friends were already waiting.

"Hey there," Minako greeted them. "What's the commotion out there?"

"Oh, you won't believe it," Usagi said excitedly. "We just realized the famous Cablo Cipasso was sitting in the same plane as us."

"No way," Akane shouted. "Did you see him?"

"Just now," Mamoru nodded. "And he has one of his works with him."

"Isn't that kinda risky?" Nabiki asked. "I mean, his works are of an enormous value... wouldn't that attract thieves of all kind?"

"Well, we saw at least 15 policemen out there," Ukyo told her. "I'm sure there won't be any trouble..."

* * *

Back outside, the policemen were accompanying Cipasso inside. "Please, ladies and gentlemen," one of them said. "Let us through. You must have enough pictures by now, right?"

A little distance away, a female figure on rollerblades was standing and watching the scene. She was keeping an eye on the golden horse sculpture in Cipasso's hands. "How cute," she said to herself. "I believe little Angelique needs a new place to spend the night..."

And Sailor Capricorn started speeding towards the crowd of reporters and policemen.

"Sorry! Sorry! Coming through!" she said, every time pushing a reporter out of the way.

"Who's that?" one of the policemen asked. "Hey you, stand back!"

Azusa stopped. "Oh, I can't do that," she giggled. "Little Azusa has to get her little Angelique!"

It took the policemen some time until they realized what she meant. "She's after the sculpture," one of them said and drew his weapon. "Freeze!"

Capricorn giggled. "You're too funny. Is that any way to treat the queen of the world?"

And as she said this, her eyes were glowing in a pink light.

The policemen shook their heads. Suddenly they gasped and bowed down in awe. "Your highness," one of them shouted. "Forgive us, your highness! We're your servants!"

Azusa giggled as she waded through the crowd of policemen that were worshipping her.

She looked at Cipasso's sculpture and smiled. "Angelique! Come to Azusa!"

"N-no..." Cipasso stuttered. "My masterpiece.. I won't let you have it!"

"Oooooh, why not? It's not like you need it, right?"

The artist blinked. Of course, the girl was right. Why would he need such a thing?

"And you want to make me happy, right? So, give me my little Angelique!"

"Of course, my lady," Cipasso said and handed her the sculpture. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Um, no, I think not! Bye-bye!" Sailor Capricorn grasped her precious little darling, waded back through the policemen and began skating away.

* * *

"So, Setsuna and the Outer Senshi have been looking for the amulets as well?" Minako asked.

Rei nodded. "They said they wanted to tell us everything what they know when we're all here... They already went home, though..."

"Hey," Ranma suddenly shouted, "What's all the commotion outside?"

"Something's wrong," Makoto murmured as she looked outside and saw the policemen lying on the ground. "We better transform..."

They all went into a small storage room and grasped their pens and amulets.

"Mars Star Power..." "Scorpio Zodiac Power..." "Mercury Star Power..." "Aquarius Zodiac Power..." "Leo Zodiac Power..." "Moon Cosmic Power..." "Libra Zodiac Power..." "Jupiter Star Power..." "Venus Star Power..." "Virgo Zodiac Power..."

"MAKE UP!!"

* * *

Azusa smiled as she hugged her new friend. "I'll take you home, Angelique, and I make sure no one is ever taking you away from me..."

"Hey, stop it!" someone shouted behind her.

Azusa turned around. Ten Sailor Senshi (and one tuxedo-clad helper) were standing behind her, hands on their hips.

"Stealing is bad on its own," Sailor Moon shouted. "But wearing a Senshi fuku while doing so? That can't be forgiven! In the name of the moon..."

"Aw, let's just kick her butt!" Aquarius shouted and stormed forward.

Moon whined. "But... but... my speech!"

Mars smirked at her. "Can it, meatball head!"

"Meanie!"

Luckily for Azusa, her Senshi magic protected her from being recognized by the Nerima Senshi... but she also didn't recognize them, of course.

She just looked at them and smiled.

Ranma, Makoto and the others that have been storming forward, looked at her in irritation. "Um... aren't you gonna defend yourself or something?" Ranma wondered.

"Nope," Azusa said. "But I think you should rather fight that dangerous dragon over there instead of a helpless girl like me!"

And she gestured over to the right.

And when the Senshi looked over there, they gasped. As Sailor Capricorn's magic created the image of four big, scaly, winged, fire-breathing dragons near them...

"Whaaah," Libra shouted. "Those dragons are gonna toast us!"

"Not if we toast them first," Mars snarled. "Jupiter..."

"I'm on it," the Senshi of Lightning smirked.

"Burning Mandala!" "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

The first dragon was being burned and electrocuted.

Nabiki grinned. "Care to help me, little sister?" "Anytime!" Akane replied.

"Scorpio Scissors!" "Simba Smash!"

The second dragon was being sliced up and smashed by an enormous mallet.

"A little help, Mercury?" "Sure!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" "Water Control!"

The third dragon was being frozen solid by Mercury's attack and pierced by an additional ice spear that Ranma had formed.

"That means the last one is for us," Minako smiled. Kasumi smiled back. "I'll be happy to help..."

She closed her eyes. "Venus, I give you my power..."

Venus raised her right finger. "Golden Maiden!" she yelled. A shining, beautiful woman made from light rose behind her. The apparition stretched her hands out and fired a barrage of bright laser beams at the fourth dragon, which incinerated him.

Minako grinned. "Cool!"

Then she gasped. "The thief!"

But Azusa had already left... and at the same time Minako realized that, her magic's effects were losing their power...

Ranma gulped when she realized exactly WHAT they all had destroyed with their attacks...

And, to make the situation even worse, the policemen started coming to their senses. "Hey," one of them gasped as he looked over to them. "The Sailor Senshi just destroyed our cars!"

And indeed, where the four dragons had just been, the smoking, frozen, shattered and melted remains of four police cars could be seen.

Rei was not the only one to sweat-drop. "I think we messed up," she said in a nervous voice.

"Get them!" another policeman shouted. "I knew it was a Senshi that stole the sculpture! And her friends were making sure we couldn't follow her!" And the policemen drew their guns.

"But... but we're the good guys," Sailor Moon started to protest.

"Um... I don't know what you're all thinking, but I'd say we leave for now," Sailor Libra suggested.

"Agreed," Tuxedo Kamen nodded, and they escaped for now.

* * *

"Jeanette!" (snatch) "Hey..."

"Antoine!" (snatch) "Give that back!"

"Sophie!" (snatch) "No, not my stamp collection..."

"Fabienne!" (snatch) "Somebody stop her!"

"Pierre!" (snatch) "Mommy, that lady just stole my lollipop..."

Azusa hummed happily as she snatched one cute thing after another. If someone was trying to stop the little kleptomaniac, she would just use her powers to create some illusions. And the best thing was: When she was wearing her little fuku, no one would ever suspect it was her!

Back at 'home' (which means the cave of the Youmas), she took a good look at her hoard of precious little things.

"Oooooh, you're all sooo cute!" she gushed.

Back in the shadows, the dark lady was closely watching a vial that was slowly filling with a crimson liquid. "Yes..." she whispered. "More chaos, cause more chaos, my darling!"

Azusa smiled. "Sure!" And she was gone again.

* * *

"And now the latest news," the woman on TV said. "The Sailor Senshi... national heroes or just ordinary thieves? Yesterday afternoon, the newest sculpture of the world-famous artist Cablo Cipasso has been stolen when he arrived at the airport. According to eyewitnesses (and there are many of those), the perpetrator was a Sailor Senshi of unknown origin. She caused some kind of mass hallucination and took the sculpture 'Rearing Horse' right out of its creators hands.

What baffled most of Tokyo's citizens was the fact that none other than Sailor Moon, together with a group of different Senshi - many of those well-known to the public - destroyed the cars of the policemen before they were able to take pursuit of the thief. Which makes us wonder: Is Sailor Moon the defender of peace and justice she makes us believe? Or is that just a disguise to mask her real criminal deeds? Stay tuned for more..."

Ikuko Tsukino switched the TV off. "Terrible, terrible," she shook her head. "And I always thought Sailor Moon was our hero..."

Her husband Kenji sighed. "Well, looks like we were wrong... But I must say, I never trusted those girls with their silly costumes... always taking law into their own hands, never revealing themselves to the public... They are really dubious, I must say..."

Usagi didn't say anything. She just went up the stairs and sniffled. Now even her own parents doubted her. How could she fight for justice and love if everyone believed she was a criminal?

"Hey, I think we shouldn't just think of Sailor Moon like that," her brother Shingo suddenly spoke up. "Just remember how often she saved the people of Tokyo from those monsters... I think there just has to be some kind of mistake..."

Kenji sighed. "Shingo, you saw the pictures of the airport, right? They destroyed the cars of the police, did they? So how can you say they are not criminals?"

"Hey, if the policemen had some sort of hallucination, why not the Senshi as well? And if one of them is a thief, that doesn't mean all of them have to be. Besides, that Senshi thief could easily be an impostor in disguise, right? Sailor Moon is a hero, I know it!"

Usagi smiled as she wiped some tears away. Her brother could be really sweet, if he wants to...

Luna looked up as Usagi came into the room. "Usagi?"

"Shingo is right, Luna," Usagi said. "We have to prove that we are no criminals! We have to find that rogue Senshi and bring everything she stole back. If she really is a Zodiac Senshi, we can always ask her why she did all this. If she is an impostor... we can take her to the police!"

Luna smiled and nodded. "That's the spirit, Usagi-chan! You can do it!"

* * *

"Sailor Capricorn..." Sting murmured as he was lying on Nabiki's desk, back at the Tendo Dojo. "It was her, I could feel it... But I don't really understand what caused her to become a thief."

"I'd really like to know how she managed to trick us like that." Nabiki said. "There were no dragons, yet she made us believe the police cars WERE dragons... how did she do that?"

"Sailor Capricorn's abilities include creating illusions and manipulating a person's mind... The original Capricorn only used it to fool her enemies, though..."

"What about those Youma we all fought?" Nabiki asked. "They all looked identical... Could Sailor Capricorn be under a Youma's control?"

"Perhaps..." Sting replied. "But we still need more information. Tomorrow, when we meet the Outer Senshi, we will try to find a way out of this mess."

"You're right," Nabiki sighed and turned out the light. "Good night."

* * *

The next day, all Senshi were coming to the Outer's home in Juuban.

Michiru smiled as she welcomed their guests. "How nice to see so many new Senshi that are willing to help us in our cause," she said with a smile.

Haruka looked critically at Ranma. "You're a Senshi? Strange, you don't look like a girl to me..."

Ranma chuckled. "Well, I turn into a girl with cold water..."

"It's true, I've seen it with my own eyes," Ami said. "Unbelievable, isn't it?"

Haruka wasn't happy that one of the new Senshi was originally a BOY, but she accepted him after a quiet scolding of Michiru.

Hotaru seemed a little disappointed, because she hoped that one of the new Senshi would be her age, but when she realized how nice everyone was (especially Kasumi), she didn't worry anymore.

They sat all down. "So, what do you all know about the Zodiac Senshi?" Nabiki asked Setsuna, a little too directly for Akane's and Kasumi's tastes.

Setsuna sipped at her tea (she complimented Kasumi who brought some along from home) and finally said: "When I looked into the future, I could see glimpses of Senshi I didn't see before... Only when I looked at some ancient texts I still have from the Silver Millennium, I remembered the Zodiac Senshi from that time... and Sting as well.

After doing some research, I managed to track down most of the amulets of the Zodiac Senshi. Following their trail though the Gates of Time, I was able to determine most of their current whereabouts. I told Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru of them, and they agreed to come with me to Brazil, where we wanted to find the first amulet... and that's really all we know." She picked up a piece of paper. "This is the list of the places where we should be able to find the other amulets. But I'm afraid that's all I can offer."

"Well, that's not too bad," Rei commented. "Using this list, we can track down the remaining amulets... even if we still don't know who the other Senshi are..."

"We know the identity of one," Ranma suddenly spoke up. "Azusa Shiratori!"

Akane and her sisters gasped. "Azusa? Of all people, that little kleptomaniac is supposed to be a Senshi? Why do you believe that, Ranma?"

"Think about it, Akane," Ranma said. "Remember how she acted... I heard her calling that artist's little statue 'Angelique'. If that doesn't sound like Azusa..."

"You're right, Ranchan," Ukyo said in surprise. "But why didn't we recognize her earlier?"

"Disguise magic," Ami explained. "As long as we are transformed, no one will recognize us, even our closest friends and family won't. Only those people that know it's us or that saw our transformation can see through the disguise."

"So she probably doesn't know it was us she fought at the airport," Nabiki assumed.

Makoto snorted. "Fight? That was a dirty trick, nothing else! She made us demolish those police cars..."

"I still don't understand why Sailor Capricorn would do something like this." Sting wondered. "Normally, the reincarnated Senshi are people that are similar to their pre-incarnation counterparts. And this 'Azusa' you just described doesn't fit Capricorn's personality at all."

"Perhaps those Youmas are controlling her somehow," Artemis pondered.

"Might be, but Azusa has always been like this, as far as I know," Nabiki explained. "Well, not as bad as recently, if it's really her... She just stole whatever she found on the ground or what someone she was passing by was carrying. But... stealing from a famous artist? And I read in the newspaper that she even tried to rob a bank. That's hardly her style... Also, I wonder how she got the Capricorn Amulet."

"It's assumable that she found it - or received it - when we were on our trips around the world," Minako guessed. "But that leaves the question: What are we going to do about her?"

"We somehow have to catch her," Usagi said in a determined voice. "She gives us Sailor Senshi a bad name. Also, stealing is bad!"

"Perhaps we can trick her somehow," Akane murmured. "She always had a simple mind..."

Ranma grinned. "How about using her dear 'Charlotte' as a bait?" He snickered.

Akane whapped him on his head. "Ranma, keep P-chan out of this! Besides, I don't really know where he is... I didn't see him the last days..."

"Who's P-chan?" Makoto wondered.

Kasumi smiled. "Oh, he's Akane's little pet piglet. He's black, small and always has a spotted bandana around his neck."

Hotaru imagined it and smiled. "How cute!"

Nabiki frowned. "Yeah, and he's actually a guy that always gets los..."

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH... That's not important now, is it?" Ranma said quickly. "Um, Ami, do you have an idea how we could trick Azusa?"

The girl genius thought about that. "Hmmmm..."

"Yeeeeeees?" everyone asked.

"Well, we have to make sure not to be tricked by her illusions anymore. Don't shoot just wildly if you see something threatening... you could hurt someone! Perhaps I can use my visor to track her down..."

Michiru smiled. "Yes, or I can try my mirror."

"We also have to be quick if we want to catch her," Ukyo pointed out. "She's darn fast on those rollerblades..."

Michiru smirked. "Ah, don't worry! I think I know someone that should be able to keep up with her." She looked at that person's face.

Haruka grinned.

* * *

The next day, Sailor Capricorn was causing trouble in a shopping mall in central Tokyo.

Several policemen tried arresting the fuku-clad kleptomaniac, but using her powers, she actually made them help her, as they were thinking Azusa was their best friend. And when more policemen showed up, Azusa told her new friends those were 'bad guys'.

While the policemen were fighting each other, Azusa entered a fashion shop. "Ooooooh," she squealed. "Just look at all those cute laces and frills! Little Azusa needs a new wardrobe!"

She dashed through the store, grabbing all kinds of frilly dresses and costumes.

Just then Sailors Uranus and Neptune made their entrance.

Neptune held up her mirror with a smile. "See, I told you I would be able to track her down..."

"Great, now we can show the people we are not like this little thief," Uranus said and stepped in Capricorn's way. "Drop the clothes and come with us! We'll bring you to our princess!"

Capricorn giggled. "A princess, huh? Sounds fun, but Azusa thinks she should take her precious darlings back home first. See you later..."

And with an astounding speed, she dashed past the two puzzled Senshi and out of the store.

Uranus snarled. "She won't come far! Follow us using the mirror!" And she started to run.

It was a tiring chase through the middle of Tokyo. Azusa skated past pedestrians, in-between cars (parking ones and driving ones) and jumped over hydrants and trash cans. Uranus tried following her as best as she could.

Finally, she cornered her in a dead end. Uranus panted and wheezed. "Now... now I've got you... whew..."

Capricorn turned around. "Awwww, looks like you got me cornered... What now?"

Uranus took her sword. "Now you'll come with me, understood?"

Azusa shook her head. "My, that sword really doesn't suit you... I think you should drop it..." And her eyes were flashing pink.

"No!" Uranus gasped, but it was too late. Obedient, she dropped her sword.

"And just take a look at your wardrobe... My, it's a pity we're all wearing the same boring old fuku, right? We just HAVE to change that..."

Grinning widely, she pulled out one of her 'acquired' clothes from the store. "I think you'd look absolutely ADORABLE in this!"

* * *

Sailor Neptune used her mirror to follow Uranus to the place where she had cornered Capricorn.

"Uranus, did you... catch... her... What... the... HECK?"

Even though it was pretty inelegant, Neptune stared at her partner with wide eyes.

Uranus was still clad in her sailor fuku, but over it...

Wearing a frilly white tutu, complete with ballet slippers, Uranus was twirling and skipping around, trying to imitate the main character of 'Swan Lake'. "Oh, hello, Neptune," she grinned stupidly, still under the influence of Azusa's magic. "What do you think of my ballet steps? If I try hard, I may be able to dance professionally, don't you think so?"

All around them, pedestrians stared at the absurd sight, and someone already got his camera ready...

FLASH!

* * *

Michiru showed Haruka the photo on the newspaper's front page. Haruka moaned. "I... I can't believe I did... did THAT... in front of all those people... GAAAAAHH! I'LL KILL THAT GIRL!"

Hotaru giggled. "I think you look cute in that tutu, Haruka-papa!"

"Who knows?" Setsuna chuckled. "Maybe you started a new trend: Sailor fukus combined with ballet tutus! All the rage in Tokyo!"

Haruka snarled with rage. "Okay... that's it! She made it PERSONAL! I'm going to catch that little brat, and if it's the last thing I do!"

* * *

Hotaru shook her head. She knew how angry and cranky her Haruka-papa could be. Perhaps there was some way she could help her?

So she asked Setsuna: "Setsuna-mama... As the guardian of time, you're pretty smart, aren't you? Can't you think of a reason why Sailor Capricorn behaves so silly?"

Setsuna felt very flattered. "Well, I try to do my best, but... I don't know everything, you know?"

Hotaru smiled at her cutely. "Oh, but Setsuna-mama... I KNOW you're the smartest person in the world! Whoever else would be able to find out than you?"

Setsuna coughed. She certainly wasn't used to such compliments... She almost blushed.

"Weeell... let's see... She certainly behaves different from her previous incarnation, but Ranma and Akane say that this is mostly normal for Azusa... mostly! Because her thievery actually has been getting worse since she got the Senshi powers... So the question is, who gave the amulet to her, and why does she suddenly rob banks and stores?"

"Maybe we should ask her," Hotaru suggested.

Setsuna had to smile. "Hotaru-chan, that's certainly not..." Then she stopped herself. She slapped herself on the forehead. "Of course! That's exactly what we have to do!"

"Setsuna-mama?"

"Think about it, Hotaru: Azusa clearly doesn't think of what she does as wrong, and she didn't actively hurt someone... Okay, she created mass illusions, and she forced those policemen to fight each other, but from what I heard I don't believe she would have actually attacked someone. So that means: Someone is telling her via some sort of mind-control that doing those things wouldn't be different from what she does normally... If we can reason with her, perhaps we can convince her that what she did was wrong. Perhaps we can even break the mind control she seems to be under..."

"I thought she was the one controlling people's minds," wondered Hotaru.

"Exactly," Setsuna nodded. "I believe she is the victim of her own powers, somehow... We should call Usagi! She has to try and heal her from that influence!"

* * *

A little while later, in the park...

"There she is," whispered Pluto as she saw the skating, fuku-clad figure of Sailor Capricorn. "Sailor Moon, are you ready?"

"I... think so," Moon nervously replied. "You think that's going to work, Pluto?"

"Well, we could at least try it, right? Saturn, you know what to say?"

Saturn nodded. "Sure!"

"Okay then, good luck!"

When Azusa approached their hiding place, Sailor Saturn stepped out of the bushes and smiled. "Hello!"

Azusa came to a stop and smiled back. "Hello," she replied with a cute smile. "Aw, aren't you the cutest little girl? What's your name?"

"Um, I'm Sailor Saturn, bust just call me Saturn for short."

"Nice name! I'm Sailor Capricorn, but call me Azusa!"

Hotaru nodded. Then she gestured towards the many purses and pouches Azusa was carrying. "What are these for?"

Azusa looked at them and smiled even more. "Oh, these? These are my little darlings... aren't they cute? And they've all got names, see?" She held up a purse. "That's little Colette..." She held up another. "That's little Claude..." She held up a pouch. "And this is little Jacqueline! Cute, aren't they?"

Hotaru looked at them. "Well... they are nice, but where are you taking them?"

"Home," Azusa cheerily replied. "I'll take them home so no one can take them away from Azusa!"

"Umm, Azusa... can I ask you something?"

"Sure!"

"Do you think other people should have some cute things as well?"

"Why not?" Azusa said. "There are so many cute things all over the world, there have to be enough for everyone!"

"But, you know that there are many, many people living here in Tokyo, right?"

"Oh! Of course I know!"

"Then, may I ask you something else!"

"Yes?"

"Why don't you leave something for them?"

That question made Azusa think. The little girl was right, was she? There were many cute things around here, but how should the other people have a nice collection of their own, if there are no cute things left?

"Well, I think we could share..." she said a little unsure.

"Yes, good idea," Saturn nodded. "It would be fun giving all these cute things to other people so they have something for themselves, right?"

Azusa giggled. "I like you, Saturn! You're such a sweet girl, always caring for others... You're right, that sounds like fun! Come, I have a BIIIIG collection, and there are enough things we can give to other people..."

She grasped Hotaru's hand and pulled her with her.

"Umm, should I cleanse her now?" Usagi said behind the bushes.

Pluto shook her head. "Let's wait a little longer... Perhaps Hotaru can convince her to give everything back to the owners. Besides, perhaps she leads us to the Youma's hideout."

* * *

Capricorn led Saturn through the park, right to a black hole in the ground. She smiled. "Here, this is it!"

Saturn peered closely into the dark, but couldn't see anything. "Um... THIS is your home?"

"Of course," Azusa replied. "Why, I think it's the most cute of all houses in Nerima!"

Now Saturn was sure of it: The girl was somehow the victim of her own illusions.

"Come, follow Azusa," the turquoise-skirted Senshi told her new friend and climbed down the hole. Saturn looked around before following her.

Setsuna looked out of her hiding place. "A hole in the park? Not very impressive... At my time, even the Youmas had style."

"You sure there are Youmas down there?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Well, it looks like it. Perhaps we can end this once and forever. Although I have the feeling we need some assistance... Call for the other Senshi, would you?"

Moon nodded. "Okay!"

* * *

"They're coming," the dark figure told her servant. "I'll go back to the main base, you stay and welcome our 'guests'.

"Yes, my lady!" Duplicas bowed down. "But what about the Chaos Vial?"

"I'll take it with me! Now go, they already entered the cave!"

* * *

Saturn followed Capricorn through the dark tunnels, lit only by torches hanging from the walls.

"Here we are," Azusa finally said when they entered a bigger cave, filled with loads and loads of stuff. "This is my biiiig collection! When we use this, we surely will be able to give all people in Nerima their own cute little things, right?"

Saturn nodded, while looking around. "Yes, I think so..."

Suddenly, the hideous face of Youma Duplicas appeared in the darkness. "What are you doing, Capricorn?" she asked in her raspy voice.

Capricorn smiled. "I'm bringing my new friend home, grandma! Her name's Saturn! Isn't she a sweet girl?"

"So, you're Sailor Saturn..." murmured the dark form. "I already witnessed your powers in Scorpion Valley... let's see how well you do when your older teammates aren't there to help..."

Saturn gasped. "You're that Youma? But we destroyed you!"

Duplicas cackled madly. "Destroy me? Hardly! You only killed one of my duplicates... I have the ability to create clones of my body... hence my name! As long as my main body remains intact, you can't kill me! Hell, you don't even know if I'm actually here or if this is another one of my copies..."

Saturn gripped her glaive. "This time, I'll make sure you're gone for good!"

But Capricorn stopped her. "What are you doing?" she asked in a frightened voice. "This is my grandma! You can't kill her! Please, leave her alone!"

Grandma? Capricorn really must suffer from her illusions if she saw that Youma as a member of her family.

"I guessed it was you," Sailor Pluto's voice came from behind them. She stepped into the light, followed by all of the other Senshi. "You're the same Youma that killed Lady Zodiac on that day, isn't that correct? We always thought Jupiter had destroyed you... but as I see now, it was only one of your decoys!"

Duplicas grinned. "So, you found me out, eh? Well, it doesn't matter! Now that we've almost collected enough chaos, we soon will be able to revive our queen..."

"That can't be," Mars shouted. "Beryl's dead! Our princess herself fought her and died in the moment..."

"Maybe..." the Youma grinned. "But your princess is alive again, isn't she... as are you!"

"Don't worry about that now, Mars," Saturn shouted. "We have to help Azusa somehow! She believes that Youma is her grandmother!"

"If you don't leave granny alone, I'll make you leave!" Azusa certainly didn't sound like her normal self. "Grandma always brought me so many cute things when she came... I won't let you take her away from me!"

Sailor Moon stepped forward. "Please, Azusa, we're not your enemies... We only want to help you!"

"No, you're not!" Capricorn shouted. "You're bad guys... and you're in trouble now!" Her eyes flashed pink.

Suddenly, the scene around the Senshi shifted. Azusa and Duplicas were gone, and they were all standing in a very small room with no exit.

"Where are we?" Leo wondered. "This is no normal room, is it?"

"You're right," Mercury nodded. "This has to be one of her illusions!"

Suddenly, the walls began moving. "Are you sure this is an illusion?" screamed Scorpio. "Because I don't want to be crushed!"

"Just concentrate and focus on our enemy," Pluto shouted. "This trick won't stop us!"

Scorpio gulped and closed her eyes. 'This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real...'

Then the walls were gone and they once again were standing in the cave.

"Why did she drop the illusion?" wondered Mercury.

Then Leo gasped. "Look!"

Sailor Virgo had approached Capricorn. Her aura of peace and calm seemed to make Azusa unsure of her actions.

"You poor thing," Kasumi said. "What did she do to you? What happened to your real grandma? Come, tell me... Don't be afraid!"

And suddenly, Kasumi knew! Reading the emotions of Azusa's soul, she realized why the girl had been acting like this all her life.

When she was still a little girl, she always had received gifts from her grandmother, and the old woman always told her little granddaughter how 'cute' they all were. Little Azusa loved her granny more than anyone else on this world. But when she died... Azusa couldn't bear the thought! Her mind got locked in place, and her dormant Senshi powers created the illusion that she still had to collect as many cute things as she could, as her grandmother wasn't there to give them to her. That also made her behave like the little girl she was at that time.

Also, Duplicas tricked Azusa into believing she would be her grandmother, and made her collect even more items, and do even more criminal deeds than before. The Capricorn Amulet was the only amulet that was in the possession of the Youma until now, and she gave it to Azusa to boost her powers even further.

Kasumi shook her head. "Poor, poor Azusa! See the truth: This monster isn't your grandmother! And you mustn't steal those things from the other people... They'll be very sad if they don't give them back."

"She's right, Azusa," Saturn nodded. "Give them back as I told you, and everything will be fine!"

Azusa shivered, and tears began flowing down her face. She looked back at Duplicas. "Grandma!"

Sailor Libra had seen enough. She stepped forwards. "Libra's Balance... balancing out truth and deception!"

Her light surrounded Azusa, who got even more confused as in her eyes, the image of her grandmother melted away to be replaced by that horrible creature...

Virgo hugged her. "It's okay," she whispered. "Aura of Serenity!"

And Azusa was being filled with calmness and determination. She was at peace with herself.

Finally, Sailor Moon stepped forward. "Sailor Capricorn, you're one of the Sailor Senshi and worthy of joining us to fight for peace and love... Moon Healing Escalation!"

And with Sailor Moon's shining light, the last bit of illusions vanished from Azusa's eyes, and finally her mind was completely free from any weird thoughts.

She stood up and looked at the Youma.

Duplicas nervously stepped back. "No... you can't... leave me alone..."

Capricorn closed her eyes. Her main powers were illusion and a degree of mind control... but she also had an offensive power.

She held out her hands to the left and right, and shining, curved weapons that somehow looked like a goat's horns, appeared between her fingers.

"Capricorn Boomerang!"

The twin blades twirled through the air, homed in on Duplicas and hit her face directly in the middle.

Duplicas screeched as her body completely turned into a dust cloud that exploded outwards. She didn't get the time to say any last words, this time.

Sailor Capricorn turned back around. Then, she knelt down before Sailor Moon. "My princess... I apologize for the things I've done... and I humbly ask you to let me rejoin your court!"

Sailor Moon smiled, and for a short time, her identity as Princess Serenity shone through her sailor fuku. "Rise, Sailor Capricorn, and be welcome within our ranks!"

* * *

Cablo Cipasso woke up with a bad mood. He always was in a bad mood since his masterpiece had been stolen. He quickly dressed, opened the door of his hotel room and ordered the bodyguard he had hired: "Bring me my breakfast!"

Despite the fact that this normally wasn't part of his job, the bodyguard obeyed reluctantly.

When he came back to the master's room, he carried not only the tray with the breakfast, but also a big package with an envelope. "Mr. Cipasso, this has been left at the hotel's reception... It seems to be for you!"

Curiously, the master opened up the package while the bodyguard took the envelope.

Cipasso's eyes got wide as he pulled his golden horse statue out of the package. "My beautiful stallion," he whispered. "How on earth did you return?"

"Sir, listen to this," the bodyguard said. "'Dear Cipasso-san... We're sorry that all of this has happened, and I promise to keep a better eye on the members of my group. She was willing to give your stolen piece of art back to you and pleads for your forgiveness... I assure you that we never had the intention of harming you, it was all a series of misunderstandings. I hope you can forgive my Senshi and won't hold a grudge against us.

Yours sincerely... Sailor Moon!"

* * *

"There," Capricorn smiled. "That should do it! I returned everything I stole from the people since Duplicas gave me the amulet. I really hope they will forgive me, though... It's hard to fight for justice and love when everyone has something against you..."

"Don't worry about that," Saturn smiled. "I'm sure if you give them some time and they see that you are one of us, they will forget the whole thing."

"Anyway, we're glad to have you with us, Sailor Capricorn," Moon said. "I hope you will help us find the remaining Zodiac Senshi."

"I will," Capricorn nodded. "But now, if you excuse me, I think I have to go home..."

She jumped on top of a roof, nodded back to her fellow Senshi and left.

Sailor Leo shook her head. "Unbelievable... she acts so differently! Is that the same Azusa that has kidnapped my P-chan?"

"Well, perhaps we're lucky and Sailor Moon has cured her once and for all," Scorpio said.

* * *

Back at her home, Capricorn climbed through the window of her room, back with her 'old' collection of cute things. She looked around and chuckled. "Maybe I should give all of those back some time later... But for today, I'm tired." She grasped her amulet and dropped her Senshi powers...

Azusa blinked and looked around. How did she get back home? She shrugged and giggled. Never mind! She was happy to be with her cute little friends again.

"Hello again, Florence! How are you doing, Pierre? Hi there, Gabrielle! You look soooo pretty today, Mirelle..."

* * *

On the next day, the Outer Senshi decided to take a day off and relax in the park.

"Good thing we managed to turn Capricorn back to normal," Michiru sighed. "If she had continued like this, it would have been a hard time for us Senshi..."

Haruka nodded. "Yeah, seriously... I mean, think about what else she could've made me do. Play with dolls?"

Hotaru giggled. "I still have some old dolls my daddy once gave to me, Haruka-papa... do you want some?"

"Very funny, Hotaru..." Haruka grumbled, and the others laughed.

It was a nice day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and everyone of them has brought something to read. Michiru a romance novel, Hotaru also a novel, but a somewhat easier one, Setsuna a scientific book about temporal theories, and Haruka... a car magazine!

Haruka leaned back against a tree and grinned as she looked at the cars in her magazine. Sometimes, she wished she had the money to buy several of them at once...

Suddenly, a pink blur rushed past her and snatched away her magazine.

"What the...?" Haruka stood up and glared at the girl that was standing in front of them, wearing her pink dress, rollerblades on her feet, and holding Haruka's car magazine in her hands.

Azusa giggled. "Oooh, this one is nice! I think I'll keep him! I think I call him 'Jacques'!"

Haruka gasped. "You? But how? Setsuna... you said she was healed, right?"

Setsuna frowned. "It looks like her personality is reverting back to 'normal', whenever she drops her Senshi magic... But it's not that bad, I think. She won't go on a stealing rampage like she did when Duplicas controlled her."

Michiru nodded. "Yes, remember, Akane and Ranma told us that she normally would only take small, cheap things that really aren't that important."

"What did you say?" Haruka nearly screeched. "This is my car magazine! This IS something important!" She turned to face Azusa. "Gimme that!"

Azusa pouted. "No way! This is my little Jacques!"

Haruka stared at Azusa.

Azusa stared back.

KLEPTOMANICUS RAPIDUS (Azusa)

TOMBOYUS FURIOSUS (Haruka)

Azusa giggled and stuck out her tongue. And when she zipped away on her skates, Hotaru could swear she heard her say 'beep-beep'.

Furiously, Haruka ran after her. "GIVE ME BACK MY MAGAZINE!"

Akane and Ranma, who were just coming home from school, were surprised when the two speedsters came rushing past them.

Ranma blinked, then shrugged. "Well, looks like things are back to normal now..."

Akane smirked. "Since when is anything around here normal?"

"Well, as normal as Nerima can get..."


	8. The Pisces Amulet

Some days later...

Setsuna was sitting in the living room, searching through several books, sometimes taking a look at her laptop, sighing deeply and shaking her head.

She didn't notice how something was sneaking close by... something vicious... and scary...

Something with strange pink appendages...

And as Setsuna was concentrated on her work, she didn't realize it until it was too late...

The pink little terror suddenly shot up in front of her, grinned widely and shouted: "HI, PUU!"

With a startled 'gack', Setsuna scuttled backwards with her chair.

"Chib... Chibiusa," she panted. "Don't startle me like that!"

The pink little terror of Crystal Tokyo grinned nervously. "Sorry, Puu!"

Setsuna sighed. "It's all right... So, what excuse did my past self have this time to send you here?"

The future princess of Crystal Tokyo grinned. "I wanna help you find the Zodiac Senshi... and I wanna meet Ranma-sensei!"

"Sensei?"

"Yup!" Chibiusa nodded. "He's my martial arts instructor!"

"You're doing martial arts?" Setsuna asked, nearly sweat-dropping. Chibiusa nodded. "Sure! I don't have a belt, as Ranma is training me in Anything Goes Style, but he said I'm already pretty good."

Setsuna, who heard about Genma's training methods, grew nervous all of a sudden. "Um, he didn't try to teach you the Neko-ken, did he?"

Chibiusa giggled. "Nooo, of course not! He may be dimwitted sometimes, but he's not stupid. So, what'cha doing?"

"Oh, I'm just searching for whoever may have the remaining Zodiac Amulets by now," Setsuna explained. "It's not easy to find them all, but this one is especially tough." She held up a piece of paper and frowned. "Davey Jones... an American sailor that once visited Japan. He was crewman aboard the 'Morning Star', a cargo ship that regularly delivers Japanese fishes to the USA..."

"Does he still have the amulet now?" Chibiusa asked.

"I don't know..." Setsuna replied. "I know he once had the Pisces Amulet, but... I don't really now what happened to him. I can follow his lead to a certain day where he once again was in Japan, at the same seaport where they always had anchored... And I know he fell in love with one of the locals, but... for some reason I can't find out what happened to him afterwards."

"You'll find out, I'm sure," Chibiusa encouraged her. "You're the Guardian of Time, you can do it!"

Setsuna smiled. "Thanks, Small Lady! I really needed that! So, you already were at Usagi's?"

Chibiusa nodded. "Yup, and she was nice to me for a change... She invited me to come with her at the beach! She was being invited by her friend Naru, who's going to stay at her parents' summer residence. It's a fairly big house... she was allowed to bring some friends along. So Usagi invited me and the Inner Senshi to come along!"

Setsuna thought about it. "Hmmm, it has been a time since we did something fun..." she pondered. "But I'm afraid I still have to work on the amulets..."

She shrugged. "Aw, what the heck! I need some vacation as well. I friend of mine has another summer residence near the house of Naru's parents... I think he'd let me, Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru stay there for a while."

Chibiusa beamed. "That's great!"

* * *

In the Tendo Dojo, Ranma was lying on the couch. "Boooring..." he murmured.

It was a warm Friday afternoon. Soun and Genma were playing Shogi, Nodoka was polishing her katana, and Nabiki was reading a manga. Kasumi was out, going shopping.

Akane came down her stairs. "Hey, Ranma! I'm bored, you wanna spar?"

Ranma wheezed. "You gotta be kidding me, Akane! It's way too hot to spar!"

Akane frowned and sat down next to her sister. "You're right, but... isn't there something we can do?"

Sting, who was sitting on Nabiki's shoulder, snickered. "How about doing some 'mallet practice'?"

Akane glared at him. "Gladly! Do you volunteer?"

The scorpion sweated. "I think I'll pass..."

"It certainly is warm," Nabiki said, looking up from her manga. "Almost makes me wish our home was close to the sea..."

"Oh, I just remembered..." Nodoka put down her blade. "We still have the Saotome summer residence at the beach! Why don't we all go there for the weekend and have a little fun?"

Ranma sweat-dropped. "Mom, since when do we have a summer residence?"

Nodoka shrugged. "We always had! I think I just didn't mention it... Anyway, there's enough room for us all. Do you all feel like going there?"

Ranma and Akane smiled widely. "Anytime, Auntie!" "Sure, Mom!"

* * *

"Where the hell am I now?"

Ryoga looked around in confusion. All that sand, the ocean, the trees... Looks like he was once again at some kind of beach. But, what beach? He hoped it wasn't Hawaii again... He still had nightmares from all those Principal Kuno look-alikes.

* * *

Happosai jumped out of the crate. Man, that had been a tough one, coming back here all from Germany in this crate... They should've never removed the men's underwear Ranma bound him with. But still, weeks without anything to eat and no female companionship left him a little weak...

Well, he just had to change that! He decided to go to the beach. Those bikini beauties certainly wouldn't mind an innocent hug from an old man, right? Or a quick fondle... or a little grope...

Happosai giggled. "Sweetooo..."

* * *

Usagi looked around. "Wow! This house sure is big, Naru! I almost didn't believe you when you told me all of us had enough space in here."

Naru nodded with pride. "It belonged to my great-grandfather, but when he died, my mother inherited it."

"There are many rooms in here," Minako said. She looked into another room. "Cool! A leisure room! And look at that giant TV screen - sweet!"

"I can't believe it," Makoto said with sparkling eyes as she came out of another room. "I've never seen such a big and well-equipped kitchen before! Just wait what I'm going to going to prepare tonight..."

"Hey Naru," Chibiusa asked. "One question: If you have two beds in your room, why did Usagi have to sleep in my room?" She was angry because Usagi has been pulling the blanket over to her side of the bed all night.

"Um... well, you see..." Naru said nervously. "The other bed in my room is... occupied!"

"Occupied?" Usagi wondered. "By who?"

Suddenly, the person in question popped up right next to her. "Hi, Usagi-san!"

Startled, Usagi jumped back. "Umino? What are you doing here?" Then she growled. "How many times did I ask you not to do that anymore?"

Umino thought about it. "Well, I can't say for sure... you've said it so often that I lost count."

"But what are you doing here, Umino?" Ami asked curiously.

Naru blushed. "Well, you know... I invited him..."

Minako grinned. "Aaaah, I see! You wanted him to be in your room so the two of you could have some time alone..."

Naru blushed. Umino laughed nervously. "It's that obvious, huh...?"

* * *

With a sigh, Akane lay down on the blanket. Below her the warm sand, above her the blue sky, in front of her the open sea... It almost made her think of learning how to swim...

Hmm... perhaps next time.

Ranma had already changed into girl form, since he really wouldn't be able to go swimming as a guy. Nabiki once again wore her next-to-nothing black bikini, and Sting was happy he wasn't a human boy - he'd gotten a nosebleed right away.

Nodoka sighed contently. "It certainly was a good idea to go back to our summer cottage... isn't that right, husband?"

Panda-Genma growfed and held up a sign: 'Just why did I have to come as a panda?'

"Because paying the beach price for a pet is more favorable than paying for another family member, dear."

"Hey!" a cheerful voice suddenly shouted. "Ranma! Akane!"

The Saotomes and Tendos looked up and saw Usagi and her friends walking towards them, including two girls and a boy they didn't know.

Ranma grinned. "Hey, Usagi! Didn't expect to run into you guys here!"

Usagi gestured to her friend. "We're staying with my friend Naru here... she invited us."

Naru waved. "Hello everyone! This is my boyfriend, Umino!"

Kasumi smiled at Chibiusa. "And who's this sweet little girl?"

Chibiusa smiled back. "Call me Chibiusa! I'm Usagi's cousin. And this little kitty is Diana!" She pointed to the small grey cat lying on her head.

Diana meowed. Kasumi smiled. "How cute!"

Usagi and her friends put their blankets and stuff next to the Tendos and Saotomes. Umino curiously asked Ranma about her martial arts, because he had the feeling he had to do a little more to protect his Naru.

It got even more interesting when the Outer Senshi arrived at the beach and joined them.

Nodoka, Kasumi and Makoto were exchanging cooking recipes, Hotaru and Chibiusa were playing with Diana, Nabiki and Minako were busy showing off their swimsuits to several boys and Michiru asked Ami if she would like to do another swimming race.

Akane leaned back. This was nice... a nice escape from their usual hectical lifestyle... No Youmas to fight, no school, no rivals that were showing up to annoy her...

"NIHAO!"

Akane groaned. Oh no! Not her... Please, not HER!

Her pleads fell on deaf ears as it really was Shampoo, Chinese Amazon and third fiancee of Ranma (according to the laws of her village). She ran up to them and glomped Ranma at once.

"Ranma! Shampoo so happy to see you! Take Shampoo on date, yes?"

Umino curiously looked at the two. "Um, does that girl always hug other girls?"

Usagi laughed nervously. "It's a long story, Umino..."

Akane stood up. "Shampoo, what are you doing here? And let go of Ranma!"

Shampoo turned around. "Ah, violent girl is here as well... You here to enter swimsuit contest? Shampoo thinks you won't have much of a chance, though..."

"Swimsuit contest?" Nabiki wondered. "What are you talking about?"

Shampoo smiled and held up a poster. "Bikini contest! Is being held here on beach! Shampoo wants to enter, to show Airen how lucky he is to have wife as Shampoo."

Usagi squealed and jumped to her feet. "Oh, wow! I'm gonna take part as well! This is going to be fun!"

Minako nodded. "Me too! No one can resist the Venus of the beach!"

Rei smirked. "Sounds like fun! I think I'll do it, too."

Naru turned around to her Umino and smiled. "What do you think, Umino? Do you think I would have a chance?"

"O-of course, Naru," Umino stuttered. "You know you're the most beautiful girl to me..."

She giggled. "That's so sweet of you! Okay, I'll take part as well."

"What about you, Akane?" Usagi asked. "Wanna try it?"

"I don't know..." Akane said. "I just wanted to relax..."

Shampoo grinned. "Aaaah, violent girl is big chicken? Maybe thinks has no chance of winning against Shampoo? With flat chest like that, is no wonder."

Akane snarled. How dared that Chinese bimbo? "All right, Shampoo! I'll show you that real beauty doesn't require two abnormal balloons on a girl's chest like yours!"

"Hey, Ranma!" Minako grinned. "How about taking part as well? In girl form, you surely have the right body."

Ranma blushed. Ami giggled. "Minako, that wasn't nice..."

"Aiyah," Shampoo suddenly gasped. "Have forgotten totally!" She pulled out some flasks. "Ranma, there is diving contest for men as well. If you want to, Shampoo give you water-proof soap, and you can particip... parcit... take part as well!"

Nodoka smiled. "Oh, good idea! What do you say, Ranma? Prove them how manly you are!"

"Do it, Airen," Shampoo cheered him on. "Winner of bikini contest and diving contest will win a date with each other!"

"R-r-really?" Umino stuttered. He looked as his girlfriend, gathered his courage and stepped forward. "I... I'll do it!"

"Umino?" Naru wondered. "But... you're not exactly the best diver..."

"Don't worry," Umino said. "I'll do fine! I'll win for you, Naru!"

"Aw, I dunno..." Ranma said. "I mean, I really don't wanna..."

'And I certainly would like to get away from this fiancee business for the weekend,' she added mentally.

"I knew you wouldn't have it in you, Ranma," another voice called.

Ranma turned around. "Ryoga?"

Ryoga grinned as he approached his rival. "You're not man enough to prove your strength to Akane, huh? Well, I'm gonna take part in that contest, and I'm gonna win."

"Hah!" Ranma laughed. "I'd like to know how you're going to do that, pork-butt!"

Ryoga grinned and raised another flask of water-proof soap. "I worked for Cologne in the Nekohanten's kitchen for a while... and she paid me with this! I know I can win, but if you are too afraid to show your fiancees what you're made of..."

'And if I win, I'll have a date with Akane,' Ryoga thought gleefully. 'Surely she will win the swimsuit contest, with her beauty...'

Ranma grinned. Her pride was under attack and she was not gonna back down from a challenge. "All right, I'll do it! Won't be too hard if even you can do it!"

'Aiyah...' Shampoo thought. 'Hopefully pig-boy won't win this time... Great-grandmother shouldn't have given him water-proof soap.'

"I still don't get it..." Umino shook his head. "Why would a girl enter a diving contest for males?"

"Well, it certainly won't be a boring weekend," Setsuna said.

Kasumi nodded. "Definitely not."

"Hey Michiru," Chibiusa suddenly asked. "I haven't seen Haruka around. Where is she?"

Suddenly a pink blur came zooming past them, followed by a enraged blonde.

"Jacques! Jacques!"

"GIVE ME BACK MY MAGAZINE!"

* * *

"Great-grandmother! How could you give water-proof soap to Lost Boy? Ranma has to win!"

Cologne listened to the ranting of her great-granddaughter and calmly said: "Listen, Shampoo... If I hadn't given Ryoga the possibility to enter the contest, he would have never challenged son-in-law to do the same. So I practically made sure that you will be able to date him. Correct?"

Shampoo stopped her ranting in confusion. "Oh! Make sense! Okay, but what we do that Airen wins and not pig-boy? More important: What do we do so Shampoo wins bikini contest, not violent girl?"

"I have prepared something for this occasion," Cologne smirked and pogo'ed over to the cupboard. She pulled out a small carton. "In here is everything we need..." She snickered.

Just then Mousse stormed into the room. "What did I hear? My beloved Shampoo is going to enter the swimsuit contest? Arrrgh, and Saotome entered the diving contest just so he could have a date with my beloved. But no, I say! I will take part as well and make sure Saotome meets his maker!"

"Sit down, boy!" Cologne rapped the master of hidden weapons on the head with her cane. "If you join, son-in-law will have an even lower chance of winning."

Mousse angrily rubbed his head. "You won't stop me this time, old woman! I WILL conquer Shampoo's heart today!"

SPLASH! "Quack?"

Shampoo put down the empty bucket and glared down at the confused duck. "Stupid Mousse! Shampoo doesn't want you to interfere this time! Great-grandmother, make sure he stays in cage, yes? Shampoo needs to change into super-sexy bikini..." She giggled.

* * *

"Hah!" Ranma smirked, now back in his male form and wearing some swimming trunks. 'So, it really did pay off to keep a pair,' he thought. "This time, I'll make sure Ryoga realizes that I'm the best, and not just in martial arts. Ranma Saotome never loses!"

Genma smiled at his son. "That's my boy! You're right! Win the contest and make sure you have a date with Akane, so the houses will finally be joined!"

"Indeed, Saotome," Soun said excited. "This will be a glorious day for the schools of Anything Goes..."

"Shut up you two," Ranma grumbled. "I'm only doing this to teach Ryoga a lesson, not because of Akane."

Nodoka smiled. "Are you sure, son? After all, she is your fiancee... And weren't there times you actually cared for her?"

Ranma turned around, not wanting to show the parents his blush. "W-why would I? She's nuthin' but an uncute tomboy that can't cook..."

Someone tapped on his shoulder. Ranma turned around. "Huh?"

Akane raised her new 'Pervert Buster Simba'.

"RANMA NO BAKA!"

WHAM!

Huffing, Akane put her tool back again. "Now if you excuse me... I have a contest to win." She turned around and left. "I really hope that baka won't win..." she mumbled to herself.

Nabiki smirked. "Now that he had coming..."

Sting shook his head. "Smooth move, Ranma..."

"Ouch..." was all Ranma could reply.

* * *

Minako grinned as she posed in her red swimsuit. "What do you think? Befitting a beauty like myself, huh?"

Makoto nodded. "Suits you, Mina-chan... but don't forget you're not the only one competing."

"That's right," Rei's voice shouted from the top of the stairs. "Because here comes the REAL queen of the shore..." In a dramatic gesture, she dropped the bathrobe and showed off her new orange two-piece. "Ta-daaa! Well?"

"Looks good, Rei," Makoto smirked.

Minako grinned. "Well, yeah... but not as good as mine!"

Rei smirked back. "Oh, really? Well, we'll see about that at the contest, won't we?"

"Oh, that we will!" Minako replied.

"You sure you two won't compete as well?" she then asked Makoto and Ami hopefully.

Makoto shook her head. "Sorry, not today... I still have some preparations for our big dinner to make... and I want to try out the recipes Kasumi gave me... what about you, Ami?"

"Uh, sorry?" The blue-haired girl looked up from her science book. "Did you say something?"

Makoto groaned. "Never mind..."

Rei looked around. "Well, we should leave... but where is Usagi? That meatball head is always late..."

* * *

Usagi knocked at Naru's door. "Naru, hurry up! We're going to be late!"

"I know, I know," Naru replied while putting on her swimsuit. "I'm almost ready. Just a minute..."

"Oh... okay! See you downstairs!"

Naru looked at herself... A very nice swimsuit, mixing a light green with pink... "How do you like it, Luna?" she asked the black cat that was lying on the bed.

Luna meowed. Naru giggled. "Yes, I know... What are you supposed to say? You're just a cat..."

Naru looked around the room. Now where was her mirror again...? Ah, there!

She posed in front of herself and nodded. "Yes, very nice! Now, I should hurry up... Usagi and the others are waiting." She grabbed her bag and rushed outside, never thinking of the fact that there had never been a mirror before in this room...

The mirror image of Naru smiled a last time, before it dissolved into empty air.

Luna stared. "What just happened?" she murmured. "Was that a Zodiac sign I saw on her forehead?"

* * *

Setsuna grinned. Finally, a clue! She held up her cell phone and dialed the number.

After a moment, someone answered. "Hello, are you Miss Noriko Sato? My name is Setsuna Meioh, and I'm looking for someone... I heard you once knew an American sailor named Davey Jones?"

"That bastard?" the woman screeched. Setsuna winced. "Of course I know him! He promised me he would love me, and only me, and that we would marry and have children... And when I told my best friend, she told me the same about herself. Finally we found out that he promised every woman and girl in town he would marry her... that Casanova! He was lucky his ship had already left when we found out, or we would have lynched him!"

"Oh... I see," Setsuna responded. "Um, sorry to hear about that..."

The woman sighed. "And he seemed to be such a nice boy... He even gave me the golden pendant with the two fishes he once found on Hawaii..."

Hope springs eternal. "R-really? Um, I mean... Do you still have it?"

"Bah! The day after he left I threw it into the ocean!"

Hope falls into the abyss of desperation. "I see... thanks for your help, anyway..."

After putting away the cell phone, Setsuna sighed deeply. Now how were they supposed to get the Pisces Amulet?

* * *

Shampoo giggled as she peered out of a palm treetop. This was the perfect spot... all of the contestants would pass here to reach the spot where the contest was being held.

She looked into the bucket that was hanging from a branch next to her. She had to pinch her nose because of the horrible stench, but she grinned. "When I pour this over violent girl's head, she will stink worse than butt of wild boar... And when she is ready with cleaning off sticky stuff, contest will be over and Shampoo has won..." She giggled. "No fair, but very funny!"

She carefully watched the passing girls. She was tempted to pour something over the other girls' heads, but she didn't want to give away her hiding place before Akane arrived.

She grew impatient. What was taking violent girl so long?

"Jacques! Jacques!"

Huh? What was that?

Shampoo peered down and saw a pink blur zoom past her tree.

"Stand still and give me back... OOOF!" SLAM!

The blonde person that was following Azusa slammed right into the tree, so that Shampoo had to grab on tightly to her branch so she wouldn't fall down.

As for her bucket... "Aaaaaah, nononono, you no fall down!"

But the force of the impact made the bucket slide further down the branch... and further... and...

SPLOOOSH!

"GAK!" Haruka screamed. "What is that stuff? Ewwww, that smells... oh... whew... horrible... And it's so sticky..." She grew even more furious. "WHO DID THAT? I'LL MAKE HIM PAY FOR IT!"

Sweating nervously, Shampoo decided for a tactical retreat...

* * *

"All right," the organizer of the diving contest said to the young men that were aligned at the catwalk leading out to the open sea. "We hid a big pearl somewhere under water so that it can't be removed by the current, sea animals or something else. And no, the pearl is not real... There are also several clues hidden around there. If you find them, finding the pearl will become easier. Whoever finds the pearl and brings it back to the surface is the winner. You all have to dive without any diving equipment, such as air tanks... And play fair, you hear me?"

The men all nodded. Ryoga looked at Ranma with gleaming eyes. This time, he would make sure Ranma loses...

"All set? Ready... go!!"

And after taking deep breaths, the males all dove into the cool ocean water, starting their search for the pearl...

* * *

Somewhere, deep in the ocean...

A dark shape silently floated over something shiny that was hidden between several rocks. It swam a small distance before turning around and swimming back.

Two pairs of blinking eyes looked out of a small chasm in the ocean floor.

"You think we have a chance of sneaking past him?" a gurgling voice asked.

"Don't be stupid," another gurgling voice replied. "He'll rip us apart if he finds us. We have to wait for the rightful owner of the amulet, as we've been told... And I have the feeling this will be soon!"

"You say that every month," the first voice grumbled. "I think it's time to do something..."

"Well, I'm not leaving here," the second voice firmly said. "And you know neither of us can go far without the other one."

"Dammit, you're right," the other one snarled. "I hate it when you're right..."

* * *

Ranma was gliding through the water with strong strokes. He liked it to be surrounded by water without changing into a girl for once. But he also kept his eyes open to find something that would lead him to the pearl...

He was pretty sure Ryoga was getting lost somewhere... Hell, when he returns to the surface the next time, the poor guy probably would even already be next to Hawaii...

Suddenly, Ranma saw something... a wooden chest hidden behind some boulders.

He swum closer and saw a water-proof sign attached to it that read: 'The pearl is in here!'

Ranma grinned. This was just too easy!

He was right...

When he opened the box, a grinning skull jumped out of it, giving him the shock of his life... almost!

Because after the Neko-ken, there weren't many things that could scare Ranma that much.

He saw that the plastic skull was attached to a spring that came out of the box. He grimaced. Very funny...

Attached to the spring was another badge... He read it:

'Talk to the goldfish, he won't mind

To tell you where the pearl is to find.'

'I get it,' Ranma thought. 'I have to follow those riddles to find the pearl... but how can a goldfish tell me? Fishes don't talk, after all...'

* * *

In a chasm at the bottom of the sea, a pair of eyes was closed when their owner had to sneeze.

His partner shook his head. "Now how did you manage to get a cold?"

The other one shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea..."

* * *

After resurfacing and taking another breath, Ranma finally found the goldfish... it was made out of plastic as well. And on its back, another clue was written. And so, Ranma continued to follow the lead of clues until he found a clue within a seashell:

'Try as hard as you can

The big octopus is your next man.'

Of course, the octopus was another plastic animal with lots of rubber tentacles, as Ranma realized when he found him. And, once again, Ranma could read something on his front:

'If you don't pull the right tentacle...'

Ranma sighed. Well, he just had to find out what happened.

He took one of the slippery tentacles and pulled with all his might...

He gasped in surprise when a boxing glove shot out of a hidden hatch and nearly smacked into his face.

Ranma grimaced again. 'Again, very very funny...' Those organizers had a weird sense of humor.

After (carefully) trying out several tentacles, a hatch opened with yet another clue inside:

'The next thing nearby has a big muzzle

Now don't dawdle, hurry and hustle.'

Ranma looked around. A thing with a big muzzle? Surely they meant another plastic animal...

He turned around... and grinned. Because nearby, the easy recognizable form of a shark was floating in the water.

'Well, what d'ya say,' he thought. 'There we have our 'big muzzle'.'

He swam to the shark and looked around the muzzle. 'Hmmm, it doesn't budge... Now how do I open it?'

He smacked the big fish several times against its big muzzle until it opened.

He peered inside. 'Well, there is no pearl inside here... Hey, those teeth really look real.' He fingered one of them. 'Pretty sharp, too. Well... actually... EVERYTHING in here looks pretty real...' He blinked. 'Wait a minute...'

He pulled his head out of the confused fish's muzzle and looked into its eyes.

Although fishes are said to be mute, Ranma was sure he heard a deep growl coming from this shark.

He gulped. 'Well, crud...'

With a loud SNAP, the shark's mouth clamped down and nearly bit off Ranma's hand. The pig-tailed martial artist let out a stream of bubbles in surprise (screaming doesn't quite work under water) and tried to get away. Would this be a battle on solid land, Ranma would have showed the beast his skills, but like this... Ranma didn't even have much air left... he had to get back at the surface.

But since sharks were quick and nimble swimmers, it wasn't quite that easy as he had imagined. He had to concentrate on dodging the numerous bites from the sea predator, and his air was being pressed out of his lungs...

"Hey, he may be the amulet's holder! We should help him!"

"Are you nuts? He's a MAN! A man can't be the holder."

"Well, that's true... but if he defeats it, we can get the amulet, right?"

"Did I say I hate it when you're right?"

"Yes! And now hurry up!"

Ranma just hit the shark with the strongest punch he could deliver under water and frantically tried swimming up to the surface.

The shark recovered quickly and swam after him. It opened its mouth... Ranma could see the billions of teeth within... it nearly reached his legs...

And two nimble little shapes zipped around the shark's head, disorienting it and distracting it from its prey.

Ranma wasted no time and swam faster. Finally he broke through the surface with a mighty gasp. Panting and wheezing, he tried to catch his breath. After taking several more deep breaths, he dove under again.

He saw how the shark was trying to catch something, two small, quick shapes that he still couldn't identify. He didn't mind... he concentrated on the fight. Propelling himself towards the shark, he used its distraction to hit it with a powerful double punch.

The shark bumped against some rocks. Ranma grinned. That should be enough.

But the beast flipped over faster than it should be possible, and this was the first time Ranma began thinking that this perhaps was no ordinary animal...

But before the shark could attack again, its tail fin was grabbed by two powerful hands that spun him around several times and threw him upwards.

'Ryoga?' Ranma couldn't speak at the moment, but his eyes showed his surprise clearly. His bandana-clad rival smirked and gave him the thumbs up.

* * *

Meanwhile, the swimsuit contest was in full activity. Naru, Rei and Usagi already had shown off their figure and swimsuits to the judges. Shampoo was next. She was upset that Akane could compete after all, but she was hoping her superior looks would help her win the contest.

After Shampoo was finished, the judge nodded and called: "And now, Akane Tendo, please!"

Akane strode towards the wooden platform with a big grin on her face.

Suddenly, a big splash made most of the gathered people turn their heads around.

Usagi and her friends were not the only ones that gasped when an enormous shark broke through the surface, seemingly being hurled up by some powerful force.

When it splashed back into the water, Akane gasped. "Ranma is out there! He might be in danger!"

And without saying anything, she just left the contest and ran towards the shore.

"If Ranma is in danger, we should all go, isn't that right?" Usagi asked her friends. Minako and Rei nodded and ran after her.

The judge frowned. "Hey, doesn't anyone want to win here or what?"

"Excuse me," Shampoo said. "That mean Shampoo is winner?"

"What's going on out there?" Nodoka murmured.

"Looks like Ranma is fighting a big shark," Genma replied. "Well, I could help him, but I think he'll do fine..."

Nodoka grimaced. "Husband, you're a coward..."

Shampoo gasped. "Airen is in danger? Oh no, I have to help him..." She stopped herself. "But if I go now, contest will be lost... Oooooh, what should Shampoo do?"

Then she decided. "Ah, forget contest! Shampoo is coming Airen, you not worry!"

Naru looked around. The crowd of competitors was shrinking by the minute. Well, perhaps she was lucky...

* * *

The girls reached the shore at the moment Ranma and Ryoga broke through the surface. "Hey girls," Ranma shouted and waved. "What's up?"

"Ranma," Akane shouted. "Are you all right?"

Ranma nodded. "Yup! Never better! Ryoga and me just had to teach some overgrown sardine some manners. Hey, you weren't actually concerned, were you?"

Akane's face of relief turned into anger. "Ranma you jerk! I threw away the swimsuit contest just so I could save you! I hope you're happy!"

Angrily, she turned around. "Now what did I do wrong?"

Shrugging, he came out of the water. He approached the judge and held up a small bag. "Here, I found the pearl!"

Ryoga gasped. "WHAT? I helped you fight the shark and you already found it?"

"Not really," Ranma replied. "I was just dodging one of its attacks when you grabbed him. I just happened to find the 'big muzzle' mentioned in the clue... Just a big fishhead made of plastic. So I just snatched the pearl. And here it is!"

The judge smiled. "Excellent! I hereby declare Ranma Saotome the winner of the diving contest."

Suddenly, a loud splash made them all turn around. In mid-air, the dark shape of the shark was floating, staring at them with red eyes.

"That... that's no ordinary shark..." Ryoga stuttered.

"I think we all know that, thank you," Ranma responded and prepared himself for battle.

The flying fish fiend opened its mouth... and a shrill scream came out of its muzzle. Suddenly, its body split up into five identical sharks, every one of them ready to kill.

"Ha, I kicked its butt once, I can kick it again," Ryoga snarled. But then, at the worst possible time, the water-proof soap lost its effect.

With a wet 'plop', P-chan the black piglet landed on the wet sand, and Ranma turned into his red-haired girl form.

Ranma sighed. "Just great..."

Akane stared. "P-p-p-p-chan? Ryoga is..."

'I'm pork roast!' Ryoga thought. Akane's grimace of shock turned into one of rage. "Ryooogaaaa..."

But she had no time to do anything when the five sharks gave off another screech and started their attack.

The judge screamed and ran away.

"No one else is here," Usagi shouted. "We can transform!"

"No, wait..." Ranma shouted...

"Moon Cosmic Power..."

"Mars Star Power..."

"Venus Star Power..."

"Make Up!!"

Ranma sighed. "Never mind..." He looked down at P-chan, who had passed out after a massive nosebleed.

Akane stared down at him. Then she glared at Ranma. "After this battle, I expect some answers, Ranma!"

Ranma gulped and nodded. They grasped their amulets.

Shampoo just arrived at the shore and skidded to a stop. She saw the Sailor Senshi, Ranma and Akane and... five flying sharks?

"Aquarius Zodiac Power, Make Up!"

"Leo Zodiac Power, Make Up!"

"Aiyah..." Shampoo said. "Ranma and Akane are Senshi?"

"Yes, and you have to help them," a gurgling voice next to her said. Shampoo turned around. "Huh?"

Two glittering fishes were fluttering next to her in mid-air, both with shiny, wing-like fins. The left one had silver scales, the other one black ones.

"Has Shampoo eaten something unedible?" she muttered. "Flying and talking fish?"

"We have no time to explain," the black one said with a gruff, male voice. "Take the amulet!"

Now Shampoo saw the golden pendant they were carrying in their mouths.

"What is this?" she wondered.

"That's your pendant, the Pisces Amulet," the silver fish explained in a soft, female voice. "Sailor Pisces... nice to meet you! I'm Fin, and this is my brother Fun... We're your advisors!"

* * *

"Shouldn't we go and help them, Setsuna?" Michiru asked.

Setsuna shook her head and peered out from their hiding place. "I think they do fine. But it's simply unbelievable... Sailor Pisces... and her advisors seemed to have brought her the amulet from the bottom of the sea... I almost forgot about Fin and Fun."

"Are there any more advisors of the Zodiac Senshi?" Chibiusa asked.

"No, I don't think so... But, I have to say, I only remembered Sting and those two fishes when I saw them again."

"Which means there could easily be several more advisors," Nabiki sighed. "Setsuna, sorry to say this, but you're a lousy guardian of time if you can't even remember trivial things like this..." She looked over to the battle. "But I'm surprised that Shampoo of all people is a Senshi..."

"Oh, look at that," Hotaru said excitedly. "Pisces just attacked the sharks with some sort of fan... which looks like a fin! A fin-fan! Tee-hee..."

"Is that all she can do?" Nabiki mused. "Not very impressive powers..."

"She can do more than that," Sting explained. "She can breathe under water, swim like a fish, communicate with all sea animals and let's not forget her powers of Yin and Yang..."

"What do they do?" Diana asked.

"Well, they only work if a person has multiple personalities or forms... like Ranma and his girl-form, for instance," the scorpion explained. "She can cause that person's forms to change whenever she wants to... and in Ranma's case, she wouldn't even require cold water to do so."

"Should come in handy, regarding the fact that she has a Jusenkyo curse herself," Nabiki said. "Oh look, P-chan woke up! I wonder what Akane will do to him after the battle..."

"I think Ranma told me about him," Setsuna said. "Akane always believed him to be a normal piglet, right?"

"Well, she thought Ryoga and P-chan were two different 'persons', and she never made the connection between them... not even after seeing Ryoga's spotted bandana around her pet piglet's neck."

"Oh, it looks like she used the little pig as a living missile against that shark." Chibiusa winced. "That had to hurt..."

"I still wonder where Haruka is..." Michiru pondered.

"I'm... here..." a weak voice called from behind them. "Did... did I miss anything?"

They turned around... and pinched their noses. "Pheeeeeww, Haruka, you stink," Chibiusa exclaimed with a grimace.

"What the heck happened to you?" Setsuna wondered.

Haruka sighed. "I'd prefer not to talk about this... So, I see there's a battle again... do they do fine?"

"Great," Hotaru said. "There even is a new Zodiac Senshi."

"Good to hear..." Haruka leaned over between them. "Oh, she is a good fighter... Nice kick into that shark's nose..."

Michiru grimaced as Haruka stood directly next to her. "Haruka... either you go and take a bath or you can see where you spend the night!"

Haruka sighed. "Yes, ma'am..."

Hotaru giggled. "So, did you manage to get back your magazine?"

Haruka moaned. "I'd rather not talk about it..."

* * *

Azusa giggled as she held the car magazine close to her body. "Jacques, I'll never let go of you again!"

Suddenly, she heard loud noises coming from the shore. "What's going on over there? Azusa is curious..."

She looked over to where the Senshi were fighting the sharks.

"Strange..." she muttered. "Something tells me... I should help them..."

The magazine fell to the ground. With an empty stare, her hands grasped the golden amulet hanging around her neck...

"Capricorn Zodiac Power, Make Up!"

Sailor Capricorn looked at herself. Then she looked at the magazine lying on the ground. Then to the battle at the shore.

She smiled. "Azusa, you definitely have to learn to leave other people's things alone..." She sighed. "But for now... I have some comrades to aid."

* * *

Shampoo grinned as she pounded the sharks. Her Senshi powers seemed to make her even stronger. This was FUN.

"Looks like Shampoo is enjoying herself," Ranma smirked as she formed a stream of water that pushed one of the sharks away.

"You recognized her?" Akane asked as she malleted that shark.

"Of course," Ranma nodded. "Who else talks like this? Besides... when she glomped me after arriving, who else would've done that?"

Akane smirked. "I see your point..."

"Behind you!" Fin shouted as one of the sharks approached Sailor Pisces from behind.

Pisces turned around and crossed her arms over her face. Shining, spread fins of energy appeared on her elbows.

"Spinning Fans!" she shouted, and the fans rotated through the air and hit the enemy, which defeated it.

Pisces grinned. "That easier than Sham... um, I mean, than I thought." Dammit, it wasn't easy not to use her normal name when in Senshi form... But her advisors were right, a secret identity is something that you better keep secret.

"Don't just stand there," Fun screamed. "Watch out!"

And Shampoo yelped as another shark slammed into her and threw her to the ground. Its mighty jaws opened and...

"Capricorn Boomerang!" another voice shouted.

Shampoo stared as the shark turned into streaks of darkness and vanished in front of her eyes.

The other Senshi caught her boomerangs and smirked. "Glad to meet you, Sailor Pisces... I'm Sailor Capricorn!"

Pisces blinked. "Does Shamp... I mean, do I know you?"

Capricorn giggled. "Sort of... But let's talk later, we have to concentrate on the fight first."

Pisces nodded. "Right!"

* * *

The sharks were defeated. Like the Shadow Beast Duplicas had summoned in Germany, they all turned into streaks of darkness that vanished after they were beaten.

Sailor Leo looked around the beach. "Hey, you looking for something?" Venus asked.

Leo nodded. "Yeah, my 'pet pig'..." She snarled. "I'd like to have a few words with him..."

Aquarius chuckled. "Knowing Ryoga, he is already in Yokohama." She gulped when Leo threw her an angry glare.

"You knew it, didn't you?" Leo asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Aquarius sighed. "Look, Akane... I wanted to. Really! But Ryoga... I promised him on my honor I wouldn't tell you. After all... it kinda is my fault that he is cursed..."

Akane sighed. "All right, I know how important honor is for you... I believe you. But you better tell me the whole story behind this some time, got it?"

Ranma smiled. "Right!"

The others were looking at Sailor Pisces, who approached them, a little unsure of herself. Capricorn patted her on the shoulder. "Come on, they won't bite! You're one of us now!"

"Um... if you say so..."

Sailor Leo's face darkened as she stepped in front of Pisces. Shampoo gulped and tried to smile.

Finally, Leo spoke up: "I'm still not too happy about what you did, Shampoo! I still refuse to accept your tribe's stupid rules, and I still don't like you... but..." She sighed. "I'm afraid it's not my decision if you are a Sailor Senshi or not. Sailor Moon explained it to me." She gave Usagi a small smile. "It's your birthright. You have to accept it, and our princess has to accept you, that's all!"

"She's right," Sailor Moon nodded. "I heard some things about you from Ranma and Akane... but I'd prefer to get to know you myself. And I'm sure you're a good person. Do you want to join us in our battle against evil?"

Shampoo nodded. "Yes, Shampoo is sure of it. Still is hard speaking right to hide Senshi identity... but I try hard. Thank you, Sailor Moon! Shampoo promises to be good Senshi." And she bowed.

Sailor Capricorn had sneaked away during the conversation. She was part of the team, that was true... But she preferred to stay by herself until her help was needed. Until then, she had to make sure her other self wouldn't cause too much trouble...

She walked back to where she lost 'Jacques' and picked up the car magazine. She smiled.

Setsuna and the other spectators of the battle sighed when Pisces was being accepted as a Zodiac Senshi.

"Good!" Sting said happily. "Now only five Zodiac Senshi remain."

"Hopefully, they won't be as hard to find," Setsuna said. "I already feared the Pisces Amulet would've been gone for good..."

"Don't worry," Michiru smiled. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine." Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Um, yes?"

Sailor Capricorn smiled and gave her the car magazine. "Please return that to its rightful owner," she said. "And excuse my other self for taking it."

"Um, of course," Michiru said. "No problem."

Capricorn grinned. "See you all later..." And she left.

* * *

Later, they all had transformed back. Ranma grinned and held up the pearl he found during the diving contest. "Well, there was no award ceremony, but knowing that I won is enough for me."

"We should go back," Rei said. "I know we have no chance of winning anymore, but I think if we hurry, we can still watch the award ceremony of the swimsuit contest."

"That's right," Usagi nodded. "Perhaps Naru has won. I would be so happy for her..."

* * *

Rei was right, the award ceremony has just begun when they arrived back at the swimsuit contest's spot.

Akane grinned. "Well, whoever is the winner, you have to go on a date with her, Ranma..."

Ranma grimaced. "If I have to..."

The judge coughed and held up his microphone. "And the winner of this year's swimsuit contest is... Nodoka Saotome!"

"WHAT??" Ranma screeched. "MOM?"

Akane and Shampoo giggled. "Congratulations, Ranma! You just won a date with your mother..."

Ranma watched in bewilderment while his mother was given the champion's trophy. "I can't believe it..." he murmured. "She never told me she wanted to compete as well..."

"What's your problem, Ranma?" Fun asked and looked at Nodoka's swimsuit-clad body with a lecherous grin. "I think your mom is pretty hot... OW!"

Fin just slapped her brother on the head with her fin. "Behave! This is no way of speaking of a teammate's mother!"

Shampoo shook her head. "Why must Shampoo's advisor be an aquatic Happosai?"

"Well, at least he has no underwear collection," Akane grinned.

"Hmmm..." Fun grinned. "Good idea!" Fin angrily slapped him again. "OW! Hey, stop that!"

Just then, Nabiki, Chibiusa and the Outer Senshi arrived.

"Hey, we saw the battle," Nabiki grinned. "You were doing great!"

"Nabiki, I told you..." Rei sighed. "Don't shout something like this with so many people around you..."

"Yo, Sting," Fun greeted his scorpion friend. "How's it going?"

"Oh, the same old thing," he said. "Just helping Sailor Scorpio... she would be totally helpless if she hadn't me..."

"One more word and it shall be your last one," Nabiki grumbled darkly.

After the ceremony, they met with Makoto, Ami and Naru.

"Well, winning isn't everything," Naru shrugged. "There was a big number of competitors, so I knew it wouldn't be easy... But I think, just taking part was fun by itself."

Shampoo's eyes wandered between Naru and her two flying fish advisors. She whispered: "Hey, why red-headed girl not freaked out with seeing two flying fish?"

"We can render ourselves invisible," Fin whispered back. "Don't worry, she won't see us if we don't want to."

Naru looked around. "Say, did you see Umino? I want to know how well he did in the diving contest."

Just then, Umino arrived. "Hey, sorry I'm late, I must have overslept. Is the swimsuit contest already over? Did Naru win? Um, by the way, can you show me the way to where the diving contest is being held? I looked around, but I just can't find the place..."

Naru groaned. "Ooooh, Umino..."

Umino looked from one face to another. "What? Is it something I said? What's wrong? Huh?"

* * *

It was getting late, and every group was going back to its particular residence.

"I'm sorry, Ranma," Nodoka smiled when they were having dinner. "But it always has been my dream of taking part in such a contest... I would have never believed that I would win today."

"It's no big deal, Mom," Ranma said in-between bites. "After all, we ARE enjoying dinner together, right?"

Nodoka chuckled. "I guess so..."

Back at the Outers' residence, Michiru approached Haruka with a smile and gave her the magazine.

Haruka was dumbstruck. "How did you get it?" she finally asked. And Michiru told her of her encounter with Sailor Capricorn.

"Oh no," Haruka cried. "I can't believe it..."

"What's wrong, Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked in a worried tone of voice.

Haruka grimaced. "How can I stay mad at her if she just gives it back? That's not fair..."

Umino was sitting on his bed and sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Naru..." he whined. "I wanted to show you that I can be strong for you, and then I don't even manage to get to the contest in time..."

Naru hugged her boyfriend. "It's okay... I'm not mad at you! It doesn't matter, I didn't win either. Hey, I think you're the sweetest boyfriend a girl could ever imagine."

"R-really?" Umino stuttered. "Th-thank you, Naru..."

In Usagi's room, the Inner Senshi have gathered and listened to Luna.

"Are you sure?" Usagi gasped. "Naru is a Zodiac Senshi?"

"Definitely," Luna nodded. "I saw her creating an almost perfect copy of herself - and she thought it was a mirror. I also saw a symbol shining on her forehead.

"A perfect copy?" Artemis pondered. "Don't tell me she is..."

"Yes, she is," Luna nodded. "Naru is Sailor Gemini!"


	9. The Gemini Amulet

Humming happily, Naru walked down the street.

That had been a fun weekend. And Usagi's new friends certainly were nice people. And the beach had been nice as well...

Even if there had been rumors about the Sailor Senshi fighting flying sharks... Naru had to chuckle at that. Now who would believe something like that?

Suddenly, Naru had to sneeze. "Ah... ah... ACHOOO!"

Sniffing, Naru searched for a tissue. Now that came out of nowhere...

Someone else that was standing in front of her handed her one. "Ah, thank you..." she mumbled and wiped her nose.

Then she looked up at the person that gave her the tissue. The girl waved. "Hi there!"

Naru blinked.

That girl looked exactly like her...

"Whaaah!" she shouted and jumped back. "Who... who are you?"

Her double grinned. "I'm you! I'm your double being created by your powers."

Naru didn't look convinced. "Yeah, right..."

"No, it's true!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

Her double smiled. "Okay!" She grabbed her sleeve and pulled it up.

And there, sitting on her elbow was the birthmark she had seen all her life... on her own arm. Naru gasped, pulled up her own sleeve and stared at the birthmark. They were identical.

"But... but how?" she gasped.

Naru-2 smiled. "How should I know? I'm just your double. I only exist because of your powers! Once you send me away again, I cease to exist... until you decide to call me again! I already saw you once, you know?" She giggled. "You thought I was a mirror..."

"That's... pretty weird..." Naru walked around her double. "But... at the same time... somehow cool." She smirked. "Hey, you really are identical to me. And... what can you do?"

"Everything you can do," Naru-2 replied. "But, see it like this: Double the Naru, double the fun!" She grinned.

Naru chuckled. "I guess you're right... But what do I call you when you're around? I can't simply call you Naru-2, can I?"

Her double shrugged. "I'm your copy, not the other way around. Give me whatever name you like!"

Naru nodded. "Okay, then let's call you 'Ranu', okay? Still somehow similar to my name."

Ranu smiled. "I like it. So, what do we do next?"

Naru thought about it. "I know! We can play a little trick on Usagi."

Ranu giggled. "Good idea!"

* * *

That afternoon, Usagi once again was walking down to Motoki's arcade to play some games...

Just then Naru came towards her. "Hello there, Usagi! What's up?"

Usagi smiled. "Hey Naru-chan! I'm just going to Motoki's arcade for a little game."

Naru smirked. "Of course, where else? Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"Um, it's not too time-consuming, is it?"

Naru shook her head. "No, no, it isn't! I just think I forgot my bag at the bus stop behind the corner... can you look if it's still there?"

That was a strange request, but Usagi just shrugged. If Naru asked her to look for her bag, she could do that. "Okay, lemme take a look..."

She went back to the corner and looked around...

...and nearly bumped into Naru. The red-head smiled at her. "Hello, Usagi! Is something wrong?"

Usagi stared. "Huh? B-b-but you... wait a minute..." She looked back around the corner. But there was no one there.

She looked at Naru. "Weren't you just talking to me over there?"

Naru shook her head. "No, I didn't! Are you all right, Usagi? You're not starting to imagine things, are you?"

"N-n-no, I don't think I am..." Usagi mumbled. "S-see you later, Naru..."

She was confused. Did she imagine talking to Naru before?

She walked back towards the arcade. But when she turned around the corner, she once again saw Naru standing in front of her. "Well, did you find my bag?"

Usagi was ready to freak out. "Whaaaa...? But how...? I thought you were behind that corner?"

"That's silly, Usagi. How can I be behind the corner if I just asked you if you could look for my bag over there?"

Usagi didn't know what to answer. Her head was spinning.

"Well?" Naru asked. "Did you see it?"

"Huh? See what?" Usagi mumbled.

Naru giggled. "My bag, of course! I asked you to look for it, did I?"

"Oh... right! I think I forgot... lemme take a look, Naru..."

She walked back around the corner... and yelped when, once again, Naru was standing before her, her bag hanging around her shoulder.

"Huh? Did you forget something, Usagi?"

Usagi stuttered: "Um, y-you... I mean... you asked me to see if your bag is here... so I just came to look..."

"Really?" Naru asked thoughtful. "Did I ask you that? Well, then I suppose you should tell me it's here, right?"

"Uh... sure!"

Usagi walked back around the corner, looking like a screw-up doll.

"Um... you said I should tell you it's already there..." Usagi murmured. "Besides, I think I already saw you standing there, with the bag around your shoulder."

"Oh really?" Naru asked. "Well, then I suppose I should go and ask myself if I could have my bag back, right?"

She walked past Usagi and around the corner.

Usagi blinked. "Wait a minute..."

She ran after Naru and turned around the corner.

In front of her, two Narus were standing, one of them holding a bag, and both were laughing at her dumbstruck face.

"Usagi, you should see your face..." the first one laughed.

"Yeah," the other one chuckled. "Priceless!"

Usagi raised a hand. "Umm, what's going on here?"

She put her hands on the hips while Naru and her double continued to snicker. "All right, that's not funny anymore, Naru! Just tell me what's going on!"

Ranu giggled and said: "Well, it's like this..." But suddenly, she disappeared with a 'pop'.

Naru blinked. "Huh? She's gone already? Why?"

"Because you can't use your powers the whole day," Luna's voice called down from a tree. Naru and Usagi looked up at her in surprise. The black mooncat shook her head. "Really, what were you thinking? Do you want everyone to know that you have the powers of duplicating yourself?"

Naru raised her finger. "Um... should I be surprised that your cat is able to speak, Usagi?"

"Not really," Usagi sighed. "Not if you consider the fact that I am Sailor Moon and she is my advisor..."

Naru gasped. "You're... Usagi! But why... when..." She forced herself to calm down, then she looked at her friend sternly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's a good reason the identities of the Sailor Senshi are being kept secret," explained Luna. "But let's go somewhere else where no one can listen to our conversation, okay?"

Usagi nodded. Naru sighed. "Okay, but I expect the full story behind this, you hear me?"

* * *

Half an hour later, they were sitting in Usagi's bedroom.

"You're serious?" Naru murmured. "I'm a Senshi as well?"

"Of course," Luna replied. "What do you think where your new abilities come from? You're one of the Zodiac Senshi, Sailor Gemini, and thereby able to create copies from yourself or any other person you'll come in contact with."

"Sailor Gemini..." Naru grinned. "Sounds cool. Do I get my own fuku now?"

"Actually, we're getting those fukus by transforming," Usagi explained. "And we need special magical items to do it. Luna already had something for me when I became Sailor Moon, but... I'm afraid the amulets of the Zodiac Senshi are all scattered over the world."

"Great," Naru moaned. "And how are we gonna find out where my amulet is hidden?"

"That's not the problem," Luna assured her. "One of your new teammates has a special pendulum which can show you the exact place where it's hidden."

"So, does that mean we..." Something beeped. Naru blinked. "What was that?"

"Just a moment..." Usagi pulled out her communicator. "Yes, what is it?"

"Usagi, we should all come to the Outers' home," Ami's voice came out of the little device. "Setsuna found out where several of the other amulets are being hidden."

"All right, I got it! When should we come?"

"This evening, at seven. And Usagi..." Ami's voice now sounded like she was pleading. "Please try to come in time, okay?"

Usagi grinned. "Okay, I'll try it. By the way, I'm bringing Naru with me. She just discovered her Senshi powers, and Luna told her all about us."

"Hey, that's great! So, see you then... bye!"

When Usagi switched off her communicator, Naru asked: "That was Ami right now, wasn't it? So she is a Senshi too?"

"That's right," Usagi nodded. "Sailor Mercury! The brains of our little team! Well, I think it's not that little anymore..."

"So, I guess Rei, Makoto and Minako are part of this as well, huh? After all, you've been hanging out much more with them than with me recently." A little accusation came along with the last part of her speech.

Usagi ducked her head in shame. "I'm so sorry, Naru-chan... But, you have to understand: Senshi business is sooo important for us... We have to make sure Tokyo is safe from all the Youma, Daimons, and whatever creatures are out there."

"I think I understand," Naru nodded. "Well, now that I'm a part of this, we will spend much more time together, huh?"

"Yup!" Usagi smiled. "Isn't it great?"

* * *

In the evening, the Outers' home was very crowded. Except for Azusa, every Senshi was present. The Inners, the Outers, the Zodiac Senshi, the advisors, Mamoru and Chibiusa.

Naru, Usagi and Luna were the last ones to arrive. "Make yourselves at home," Michiru greeted them. "Although I hope there is still some place left for you to stand... our house has never been that full before."

Because of their large number, they didn't sit down in the dining room as before, but in the living room. Haruka and Michiru had carried most of their chairs from the dining room in here, so everyone would have a spot to sit down.

"All right, I think I was able to track down two of the missing amulets," Setsuna started the meeting. "The ones I know nothing about are the Gemini, Aries and Sagittarius amulets.

Finding out about the Gemini Amulet won't be a problem, though," she added with a glance to Naru, who smiled. "I also think I have enough money to pay for all of the flights."

"Excuse me," Minako spoke up. "But I just realized: Wouldn't it be easier to just use our teleport to get there?"

"I already thought about that," Setsuna replied. "And I talked about it with Ami. And we came to the conclusion that only the Inner Senshi have been able to use the Sailor Teleport. And that would leave the question how the Zodiac Senshi would be able to get to their amulets. And I think it would only be fair that they are coming along to get them. Besides, Sting told me that the amulets would 'react' to anyone that tries to get the amulet. You all were aware of the strange coincidences how everyone of you found them, right?"

She looked at Ranma. "The Aquarius Amulet was hidden within the spring water of Jusenkyo."

She looked at Akane. "The Leo Amulet was hidden near a lion."

She looked at Nabiki. "The Scorpio Amulet was hidden within Scorpion Valley."

She looked at Ukyo. "Ukyo found the Libra Amulet within the castle of a Scottish clan which had a pair of scales inside their family emblem... Also, the story of the McScotts and McTricks began with a pair of defective scales."

She looked at Shampoo. "The Pisces Amulet was hidden at the bottom of the sea, guarded by fishes."

Kasumi. "Although the Virgo Amulet was in California, it somehow led it's Senshi to a planet that was being populated by virgins."

She looked around. "And Azusa... okay, we don't know the circumstances how she got her amulet, but after everything that happened, I'd say that it had to do something with a goat. So, Sting, Mercury and I started to believe that the Zodiac Senshi simply HAVE to search for their amulets themselves, or it just would be impossible to be found, understand?"

Most of the present Senshi nodded, although Ranma and Shampoo still seemed to have a hard time following Setsuna's words.

"Sadly, I don't have enough money for everyone of us to fly to those countries, so I'm afraid some of you have to stay here in Tokyo."

"That's not that bad, I suppose," Rei spoke up. "If anything bad happens in Tokyo, we always have someone back here to take care of everything."

Setsuna nodded. Then she put several papers on the table. "Look here... these are the places where two of the amulets are hidden:

The Taurus Amulet is in Canada, within some sort of summer camp for children... although this one seems to be only for girls."

Hotaru smiled. "I suppose you planned to send me to Canada, don't you, Setsuna-mama?"

Setsuna smiled. "Yes, you're right. It's much easier to explain the presence of a young girl in there than that of several older teenagers... or even boys." She looked at Ranma and Mamoru.

"I'll come with her," Chibiusa shouted. Hotaru smiled. "Thanks, Chibiusa!"

"Okay, but you'll need at least one older person to accompany you, I think..." Setsuna thought about it. "Kasumi, would you be interested?"

Kasumi smiled. "It would be my pleasure."

"I guess I'll come as well," Rei said. "I always wanted to visit Canada..."

"Okay, then it's settled... Well, the Cancer Amulet is hidden in Italy, near the coast... I think it's somewhere near Venice..."

Michiru raised her hand. "I'll go voluntarily," she said. "Anyone wants to come with me?"

"When it's near the sea, I think my ability would be suited for it," Ranma spoke up.

"I'll come, too," Shampoo and Akane said instantly. Both of them threw each other angry glares.

Ranma sighed. 'Hoo boy, that's gonna be some trip...'

Setsuna nodded. "Okay, now we only have to see where Naru's amulet is hidden... Nabiki, the pendulum, please!"

Nabiki pulled it out of her pocket and gave it to Naru. "Here you are!"

Setsuna put the world map on the table and Naru let the pendulum hang down. Finally, it stopped right over France.

"It's in Paris," Naru shouted in surprise. "Oh, that's great! I always wanted to visit the Louvre."

"I'll go with Naru," Usagi said. "Senshi business is still pretty new for her, she needs her friend!"

"Thank you, Usagi!" Naru beamed.

"Okay, I guess I have to go somewhere as well," Haruka sighed. "So I'll keep an eye on those two."

"Hey, we are no children, you know?" Usagi said offended.

Meanwhile, Setsuna had written everything down on a small piece of paper:

Gemini Amulet (France): Usagi (Luna), Naru, Haruka

Taurus Amulet (Canada): Hotaru, Chibiusa (Diana), Rei, Kasumi

Cancer Amulet (Italy): Michiru, Ranma, Akane, Shampoo (Fin & Fun)

"Okay, I guess that means the rest of us is going to stay back and fight every bad Youma that tries to attack Tokyo," Minako smirked.

"Awww, I wish I could come along to France," Makoto pouted. "Very well, maybe some other time..."

"All right, I'll think I should go home and prepare the first-aid kit," Nabiki smirked and stood up. "I think Ranma will need it on his trip."

Both Shampoo and Akane frowned at that.

"Nabiki, shut up," Akane simply growled.

"Mercenary girl be careful what she says," Shampoo warned her. "Or Shampoo gives her Amazon Noogie!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in another dark place...

An enormous figure with long horns was carrying a small, flailing shape over his shoulder and threw it to the ground, in front of a Youma clothed in rags. "Here he is, mistress..." the horned being growled.

Duplicas smiled. "Excellent work, minion... You can withdraw for now!"

The tall figure bowed. "My lady..." He left.

Happosai stood up and looked at his host. "You know, I'd like to have a date with nice women, but I think you're a little too old for my tastes..."

"Silence!" the Youma shouted. "You're not here for fun, Happosai! Know that I brought you here to offer you a bargain... a bargain regarding the Zodiac Amulets!"

Happosai raised an eyebrow and pulled out his pipe. "I'm listening..."

"We are interested that the Sailor Senshi won't get all of the Amulets into their hands. But now that their numbers have increased dramatically, I have no other choice but to change my plans... And that includes offering you a deal: Work with us, and I promise you will be the first one to use the powers of the amulets for your own wishes."

"Is that all? There has to be a catch somewhere. What are you going to do with the amulets anyway?"

"That is our concern! Pay no attention to our plans, and we won't question yours, right?"

Happosai was still cautious. He could feel this was some kind of demon, and a man of his age and experience knew better than to trust the word of a dark being.

But still, the idea of a world with underwear-clad beauties that were willing to let him look at them...

"Okay, deal! But you better not trick me, lady... I'm not your ordinary old grandfather, you know?"

"Oh, I know..." Duplicas smiled. Inwardly, she laughed. 'Stupid old fool... when you have done your job, I will gladly kill you myself...'

* * *

Usagi looked around in amazement. "Oh, wow! Naru, isn't Paris just amazing? Ooooh, I think I'll bring Mamo-chan one of those souvenirs..."

"I can't wait to see the Louvre," Naru exclaimed. "And the Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame, and..."

"Calm down there, girls," Haruka chuckled. "We're here to find the amulet, remember? French culture has to wait..."

Usagi pouted. "You're a spoilsport, Haruka..."

Luna shook her head. "She is just concentrating on our mission... as you and Naru should do."

Haruka smirked. "Hey, I'm pretty sure it won't take long. Setsuna said it would be pretty easy..." She pulled out a map. "According to the pendulum, the amulet has to be inside a certain mansion in Paris... and according to what I heard, a Comtesse Carlotte is the owner of that house."

"So she would be the current owner of my amulet, right?" Naru asked. "I hope she is willing to give it to us..."

The three girls and their cat took the metro - or subway - to reach their destination. The mansion of the comtesse (countess in french) was lying in the middle of a neighborhood where mostly rich people were living.

Naru and Usagi just gaped when they saw the big mansion, surrounded by a big garden... no, make that a whole park!

"That... is no mansion," Naru stuttered. "That looks almost like a PALACE!"

"Well, the comtesse is pretty rich from what I heard," Haruka said. "She owns several factories and estates."

Usagi grinned. "Well, if she is that rich, it won't be a big problem to give us just one little golden pendant, right?"

They approached the main gate. Behind it, a broad path was leading through the park to the front door of the mansion.

Haruka pressed the bell button. A short time later, a man dressed in a butler's livery appeared.

"Oui...?" he asked in a bored tone of voice. Then he looked up into Haruka's face. "MON DIEU!" he shouted.

Usagi and Naru looked at each other. "What's wrong with him?" Usagi asked. Naru just shrugged.

Haruka surprised the two girls by saying something to the butler in French, and the man calmed down and answered something.

While the butler opened the gate, Haruka smirked. "He said the comtesse may have some time to talk to us."

"Haruka," Usagi said in a surprised voice. "You never told me you speak French!"

"Well, you never asked. And besides, how else would we be able to talk to the people here?" Haruka asked. "Now come, we don't want to let the Comtesse wait for us."

The butler led them through the front garden and opened the front door of the mansion. Once again they were amazed by all of the valuable furniture, paintings, carpets and vases that were decorating the house.

"Come this way, s'il vous plait," the butler said in a heavily accented English and guided them through the halls. They entered a big room with several armchairs and sofas, and a big armchair was standing in front of a fireplace. The backrest of the armchair was that big that they couldn't see the head of the person that was sitting inside it. The Comtesse was rapidly speaking into the receiver of the telephone that was standing next to her, in French, of course.

After the Comtesse finished her conversation and hung up, the butler walked up to her and said something in French. She responded and laughed.

The butler nodded and stepped back. The Comtesse stood up. They could see she had short, blonde hair. "Excusez-moi," she said. "But I still had one of my friends on the phone..."

And she walked around the chair.

And everyone gasped. "WHAT THE...?" Usagi and Naru shouted.

"MON DIEU!" the Comtesse gasped. Her finger pointed at Haruka. "You... you look exactly like..."

And indeed, Comtesse Carlotte looked nearly identical to Haruka. They only had different clothes and hairstyles.

When everyone calmed down a little, the Comtesse looked closer at Haruka. "It's astonishing," she murmured. "We really look identical."

"Yeah..." Haruka weakly replied. "Just as if we were twins..."

"Ah, twins..." The Comtesse snapped her fingers. Her butler brought a small wooden chest. "Albert told me the reason of your visit. You were coming all from Japan because of this little pendant, non?" And she opened the chest and pulled out the Gemini Amulet.

Naru smiled at Usagi. That really was too easy...

She was right...

"I'm willing to give it to you," Comtesse Carlotte explained. "But, I just got a little idea..." She grasped the surprised Haruka's hands. "Please, do me a favor... Please stay in France for several days and act as if you were me, the Comtesse Carlotte!"

"I beg your pardon?" Haruka murmured. "Me, as a noblewoman?"

Naru smiled. "Do it, Haruka! It won't be hard, right?"

"Oh, non," the Comtesse replied. "She only has to be present at several boring meetings, that's all... the rest of the time, you can just live here in the mansion, and do what you like!"

Haruka sighed. "But... if you don't mind my asking: Why? There is a reason behind all of this, is there?"

"Oh, of course there is," the Comtesse answered with a sigh. "You see, the life of a Comtesse is not as simple as it may look... You know that I'm the owner of some companies, right? And, you see, my business rivals always are alert... they instantly see when I plan something new, and they always try to launch their own products before I'm even finished producing my first exemplars. And right now I'm working on something big... And I'd like to finish it without my rivals finding out anything about it. You understand?"

"Aaah, I guess I see," Haruka nodded. "If I play the comtesse, everyone will concentrate on me, while you have enough time to finish your own products, right?"

The comtesse smiled. "Yes, exactly! So, do you agree with my conditions? After two or three days, I will be back, and your role as comtesse will be over. My new products will be finished... and I'll give you the Gemini Amulet. What do you say?"

* * *

In the end, Haruka agreed. Living in this huge mansion, being provided with an endless supply of food and drinks, and being able to sleep in the most comfortable bed she had ever seen OR felt might have something to do with it...

The comtesse (she insisted on being called Carlotte) got dressed in Haruka's clothes and a baseball cap... She really didn't look like a comtesse anymore. She decided to sleep in different hotels so the detectives of the rival companies would have a hard time of tracking her down.

But already on the next day, Haruka regretted her choice.

"Why, oh why do all of her clothes be so... so... FEMININE? Doesn't she have at least ONE pair of pants?"

"I'm sorry, Mademoiselle Haruka..." the butler Albert responded. "But Comtesse Carlotte has to wear what the etiquette demands."

Haruka grumbled as she put on the skirt.

Downstairs, she met Naru and Usagi at the breakfast table. "Good morning," Naru greeted her. Haruka mumbled something unintelligible.

Usagi looked around. "Say, has anyone of you seen Luna around here? I can't see her anywhere..."

Suddenly a loud meow from outside startled them all. A furious barking followed, and a few moments later, Luna jumped up onto the windowsill. She panted heavily, and her fur was a mess.

Albert coughed. "I believe I should have mentioned the comtesse keeps a watchdog in her garden."

Luna looked like she was ready to faint.

Usagi scooped her up. "Poor, poor Luna! From now on, we'll make sure the bad dog won't hurt you anymore..."

Albert coughed again. "I'm afraid the comtesse has an appointment today Mademoiselle Haruka just has to attend. In the Gallery of Modern Arts, a new exhibition will be opened."

Usagi grinned. "I'll bet there are many of these pictures where one doesn't know if it's hanging upside down or not."

"Wouldn't it be wiser to excuse the comtesse because she is sick?" Naru asked worried.

Albert shook his head. "C'est impossible! Everyone knows how Comtesse Carlotte is a lover of the art. She'd NEVER miss a chance to attend to such an opening."

Haruka sighed. "Oh, fine, let's get it over with..."

* * *

Of course it turned into a disaster.

Unlike Michiru, Haruka was never interested in any art besides the art of car racings.

The comtesse's limousine brought them to the Gallery of Modern Arts. It was a warm day, and Haruka had to wear the warm coat of the comtesse. And as soon as they entered the gallery, she was more than happy to remove the heavy garment.

Sighing, she hung it over what she believed to be a hat stand.

"Ssshhh," Naru hissed. "Haruka, you can't put your coat there... that's a modern sculpture!"

Blushing deeply, Haruka quickly pulled the coat off the sculpture.

Next to them, the creator of the sculpture was standing next to another artist, an Italian painter. While the stubby sculptor didn't seem to happy about what happened, the painter grinned and shook Haruka's hand.

"Bravo," he said. "I always knew you were a true connoisseur of the arts."

The sculptor grumbled. "It's okay with me if the comtesse judges my art... But I advise that you keep your ignorant comments to yourself."

"Just you wait," the painter huffed. "Wait until the comtesse sees my paintings... Then she will be impressed."

Just then, Usagi was standing in front of one of the painter's pictures. It just looked like a scrambled mess of colors and shapes to her. She giggled. "Oh, that looks nice... Did your little son make this?"

The painter just stared in shock while the sculptor burst out laughing. "Did you hear that? Bwahahahahah!"

"Shut up, you..." the painter growled.

Naru groaned. How could she enjoy looking at all those interesting pieces of art if Haruka and Usagi were messing around like that?

* * *

Back when they arrived at the mansion, Albert told Haruka that Comtesse Carlotte had multiple phone calls from her admirers... all of them male!

And now Haruka had the pleasant job of calling every single one of them back.

After Haruka slammed down the phone in frustration after the sixteenth conversation, she screamed in rage: "Aaaaarrgghhh! Why can't she have one single girlfriend, huh? ONLY ONE FEMALE! THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING FOR!"

She looked like she was ready to cry.

Naru didn't know if she should snicker or pity Haruka.

Albert entered the room and coughed. "Mademoiselle Gabrielle is here to speak with you. Your sister..."

Haruka grinned. "All right! Finally, after all those flops, something easy. I mean, how horrible can a small family meeting be? Let her in!"

Albert bowed and left. After some minutes, another blonde girl entered the room, slightly younger than Haruka / Carlotte. She wore a frilly dress and her hair was as long as Minako's.

Haruka smiled. "Dear sister," she greeted her in French. "What can I do for you?"

Gabrielle looked sternly at who she thought to be her sister. "Ah," she responded, also in French. "Finally, you're home for once!"

Usagi looked from Haruka to Gabrielle. She didn't understand what they were talking about, but she had an idea that the comtesse's younger sister was slightly angry.

"I just came," Gabrielle continued. "To show you how much I appreciate it that you once again stole my boyfriend from me... FOR THE SEVENTH TIME!"

And before Haruka could react, she saw Gabrielle's fist, approaching her right eye...

SMACK!

Gabrielle huffed and nodded. "I hope you're happy with yourself!" She raised her nose and stormed out of the room.

Haruka groaned and held her hands over her eye, which slowly started to change color.

"Haruka, are you all right?" Usagi asked.

"Yeowch..." Haruka muttered. "That hurt..." She snarled. "I swear it, the comtesse will pay for this."

* * *

Over the evening, Haruka's eye was swelling even more, even after cooling it with some ice. Totally exhausted after that stressful day, she decided to go to bed early.

She lay down in Carlotte's enormous bed and groaned. All the luxury wasn't a big comfort when she had to suffer like this...

Besides... she already started to miss Michiru...

She took a deep breath and closed her left eye (the right one was already swollen shut). She was that tired that she instantly fell asleep, so she didn't even notice how something next to her bed clicked, and a secret door opened.

A dark figure slowly tiptoed through the room, until it reached the bed where Haruka was lying. A hard club was resting in the person's hand.

Suddenly, Haruka woke up. "Who's there?"

She only saw the silhouette of a person clothed in black, then something hard whooshed through the air and hit her head.

Knocked out, Haruka fell down to the floor. The dark figure chuckled and grabbed her legs. Pulling the unconscious blonde after it, the person vanished back behind the secret door and closed it.

* * *

Usagi groaned. For some reason, she couldn't find any sleep. She took a look at Luna, who was snoozing next to her. The bed was big enough for three Usagis, so she felt a little lost.

She almost giggled when she imagined Mamoru lying next to her, instead of Luna...

Carefully, so she wouldn't wake Luna, she climbed out of the bed. Perhaps drinking some milk would help her... She tiptoed out of the room.

Now where was the kitchen again?

"Damn this maze of a mansion..." she murmured and decided to ask Haruka. It wasn't thaaat late, she would still be up, right?

She opened the door to the comtesse's bedroom. "Haruka, do you..."

That's when she saw someone wearing dark clothes pulling the unconscious Haruka through some sort of door.

Usagi screamed. "NARU! WAKE UP! Hey you, stop right there! Or I'll... I'll... I'll punish you in the name of the comtesse!"

The mysterious person must have heard Usagi's yell, but whoever that was, he didn't turn around. The masked person pulled Haruka behind the secret door and closed it. Usagi tried to reach it in time, but it got shut before she could reach it.

Usagi hammered against the wall. "Hey, open up! What are you doing to Har... um, to the comtesse?"

Naru and Luna entered the room in a hurry. "Usagi, what happened?" Naru asked. "Where's Haruka?"

Usagi pointed to the wall. "Some creep kidnapped her and pulled her through some secret door. But... I can't find the handle!"

"Most secret doors don't have handles," Luna said. "Let's search through the whole room. There has to be a hidden switch somewhere."

The tried everything, from turning the bedposts to knocking on the walls. To no avail... the door stayed closed.

"It's no use," Luna shook her head. "Whoever wants to go through that door must know how to do it... that means the kidnapper must know this place."

"Poor Haruka," Usagi sniffled. "I wonder who could do something like this?"

Suddenly, someone entered the room. "Do you need some help?"

Usagi and Naru stared. "You!"

* * *

Groggily, Haruka opened her eyes. "My head..." she moaned. "Feels like that time Setsuna bopped me with her Garnet Rod..."

Suddenly, she was aware that her hands and feet were being shackled to whatever surface she was lying on. She also realized that she was in a big room with crude walls. It somehow looked like a cellar... Several candles standing on an old shelf provided the room with some light. "Hey, what's going on?" Haruka shouted.

"Ah, so you're finally awake," a voice said. "I was getting bored, you know?"

Haruka looked to the right and groaned. "Great... another double..."

It was true, the girl standing next to her looked nearly identical to her... and the comtesse, of course. However, this girl was considerably shorter than both Haruka and Carlotte. And her face... Well, let's put it like this: Haruka was a beauty queen compared to that girl.

"Don't play dumb," the girl huffed. "Don't tell me you don't recognize your own twin sister. You know how similar we are... except for your..." She snarled. "Good looks."

The girl walked around the table on which Haruka was lying. "You and Gabrielle have always been mother's and father's favorite daughters... And everyone adored you! You boys were worshipping you... the girls were envying you... But not little Valerie, nooo... No one ever took someone as small as me seriously, just because of my stupid birth defect. I couldn't even find a decent job. Everyone just laughed at me..."

She grinned. "But finally, the time of revenge has come, Carlotte..."

Haruka struggled against her shackles. "Hey, I'm sorry how everything turned out for you, but I'm not your sister, got it? I have no part in your little family tragedy."

Carlotte's twin sister giggled madly. "Aw, stop it! You seriously expect me to believe something like that? What's next, you'll try to convince me you're me?"

She snickered and went over to an old cupboard. "Well, that won't be that far from the truth, you know..."

She turned around and brandished a polished saw, it's teeth shining in the light of the candles. "I will make sure that your looks will resemble mine a little closer... by cutting off the part that makes you bigger than me!"

Grinning like a mad woman, Valerie approached the bound Haruka with the saw raised high above her head.

Haruka started to sweat. If she only had her transformation pen...

"Dammit... this day just keep getting better and better..."

Just as Valerie was about to cut Haruka's legs off, someone kicked her hard in the ribs and threw her aside.

Usagi lowered her leg and grinned. The 'Sailor Moon Kick' was simple, but effective.

Naru stepped next to her. "Usagi, free Haruka! I'll take care of that maniac."

Usagi nodded.

Gritting her teeth, Valerie, stood up. "You... Whoever you are, you'll DIE for that!" She raised her saw menacingly.

Naru smirked. "Oh yeah? Then take a look behind you!"

Valerie snickered. "If you think I'm falling for that old trick..."

"Yoohoo!" someone shouted behind her. And before she could look around, something hard smacked into her head.

Rubbing her head, Valerie backed off in confusion, being cornered by two identical Narus. "W-w-what? A-are you twins as well?"

"Nope," Ranu grinned. "We're just two sides of the same coin."

"I don't care how many you are," the mad woman smirked. "I'll kill you both!"

She didn't notice how someone else was approaching her from behind.

When she got tapped on the shoulder, Valerie looked around.

Carlotte smirked. "Hello, sis!"

The comtesse showed that even noble women could pack a punch, and smacked her fist right into the face of her twin sister.

Dizzily, Valerie stumbled back, dropped the saw and bumped against a shelf standing behind her. A heavy hammer lying on top of the shelf fell down and dropped right onto her head, knocking her out.

In the meantime, Usagi had freed Haruka, who was massaging her wrists. "Well, that was a close call... Thanks, guys!"

Naru and Ranu grinned and clasped hands. In a flash, Ranu vanished.

Carlotte shook her head. "I don't know how you did that, but that's none of my business... I'm only glad all of this is over."

"What do you mean?" Haruka asked. "And why are you here anyway? I thought you wanted to hide from your rival companies."

"After that mad girl kidnapped you, we tried to find a way to follow you," Naru explained. "But we couldn't find the switch for that secret door. But then Carlotte appeared... she showed us how to open the entrance to this basement, and we came just in time. When I saw what that girl wanted to do to you, I just didn't care about the fact that Carlotte would see it... I summoned Ranu to help you! But, I must say, I have no idea why Carlotte just arrived at that time..."

The comtesse sighed. "Well, now that everything is settled, I can tell you the truth: The story of the rival companies that wanted to steal my products... none of it is true."

"Say what?" Usagi shouted. "Then why did you want Haruka to take your role in the first place?"

"I guess you deserve to know the truth... It all started when I read a certain article in the newspaper... It said that my twin sister escaped from prison. I knew she would be out to kill me again, like she did before... and that made me very nervous. You know... Valerie basically knows every part of this mansion, every secret entrance and every hidden room... She could have struck anytime."

"I see," Naru nodded. "And when you saw how Haruka resembled you even closer than your own twin sister, you got the idea of her taking your place."

"Don't get me wrong," Carlotte quickly said. "I didn't want Valerie to harm Haruka in any way... I just wanted to trick her, to lure her out of her hiding place. I always had watched the three of you closely, so I could interfere when Valerie appeared... and I did, didn't I?"

She smiled. "Because one thing is certain: I'm someone you can count on! I always keep my promises..." She pulled out something shiny. "That applies for the Gemini Amulet as well. You truly have earned it."

"No kidding," Usagi grumbled. "Haruka really had a hard time impersonating you... and than Valerie's act with that saw... I swear, I'm glad that it wasn't me who looked like your twin... I mean, even more so than your own twin... Boy, this is all confusing..."

Haruka looked closely at the comtesse and frowned. Then she rubbed her black eye. "Twin, you say?" she growled. "No, this doesn't look right..."

Carlotte blinked in confusion as Haruka approached her. "Wait a minute... what are you...? OW!" SMACK!

Naru and Usagi winced. Haruka pulled back her fist while Carlotte stumbled back and held her hands over her right eye.

Haruka smirked. "There, now we're identical to each other once again."


	10. The Taurus Amulet

Rei was deep in thought when she and Kasumi were wandering through the woods.

Kasumi turned around. "What's on your mind, Rei?"

"Oh, it's... It's nothing," the raven-haired girl replied. "I only... Well, I have a bad feeling about just leaving Hotaru and Chibiusa back at the camp."

Kasumi smiled. "I'm sure they'll do fine. They will search inside the camp for the amulet, we'll search in the adjoining woods. Don't worry! There are adults within the camp as well, you know?"

Rei sighed. While that was true, she had the feeling that those adults couldn't do much if a Youma appears.

On the other hand, both girls had already faced several dangerous opponents before, such as Nehelenia. Perhaps she was just worrying too much.

* * *

"This is too much," Chibiusa grumbled. "Those stupid counselors... I don't plan in joining any of their stupid games they have prepared."

"Hey, take it easy," Hotaru told her. "I've never done anything like a 'scavenger hunt' before. Besides, during the game, everyone will be distracted, so we can search for the amulet."

Diana looked down from Chibiusa's head. "Why should we go hunting for scavengers?" she wondered. "I see no reason for it..."

Chibiusa groaned. "Diana, it's just the name of the game..."

The grey kitten blinked. "Hunting scavengers must be really fun, then. I mean, if they even make a game of it..."

Chibiusa and Hotaru face-faulted.

* * *

They weren't the only non-canadian girls visiting the camp today. Not even the only non-american girls...

"This sucks," Jade grumbled as she angrily kicked a rock against a tree. "I could go along with Jackie and help him search for that other amulet, but nooo... I have to stay here with the little kids... great..."

She sighed and began picking up fir cones. It was a stupid way of spending her time, but at least more interesting than joining that silly scavenger hunt...

While walking around a tree, she didn't see the other girl approaching her.

The two girls bumped into each other. "Huh?" Jade said. "Oh, sorry... I didn't look where I was walking..."

The black-haired Japanese girl smiled. "It's okay, I was kinda distracted myself."

"Hey," her pink-haired companion shouted. "You're collecting fir cones? It was a hobby of mine for some time..." That was true, as the fir was a rare tree in her own century, she always brought some cones back home when she returned back to Crystal Tokyo.

"Well, mainly because I was bored..." Jade replied. "These games the counselors come up with are kid stuff."

Chibiusa giggled. "You're right, they're boring. Hey, you look Asian as well! Are you from Japan too?"

"No, I was born in Hongkong, but normally, I'm living with my Uncle Jackie, in San Francisco. Jackie Chan, you ever heard from him? He's a famous archeologist."

Chibiusa shook her head. "No, can't say we have. By the way, my name is Usagi, but call me Chibiusa, everyone does."

"And I'm Hotaru," her black-haired friend smiled. "Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Jade..." Jade said with a smirk. "Jade Chan."

* * *

"Well, has been nice meeting you," Jade finally said and left.

Hotaru smiled as she watched their new friend walking away, every now and then bowing down to pick up a fir cone. "Jade sure was nice..." Then something came to her mind. "Jade... Jade... Now where did I hear that name before?"

"Hey Hotaru!" Chibiusa called her. "Look at this! Here's something hard underneath the fir needles..."

"Really?" Hotaru asked. "Perhaps it's the Taurus Amulet..." Together, they digged in the piles of needles, until they found the hard thing Chibiusa had felt.

"Awww, it's just some pice of stone," Chibiusa pouted.

Hotaru looked closer at it. "Strange... it's not a normal piece of rock... Look, there's a tiger carved in it's surface. Looks like some sort of talisman or something..."

"You think Jade dropped it?" Chibiusa wondered. "Maybe she is born in the year of the tiger, and this is her lucky charm." She giggled.

"Year of the tiger?" Diana asked naively.

"Yes, year of the tiger... the Chinese Zodiacs, Diana! Hello? Do you actually remember Mercury's lessons back at home?"

"Actually... I mostly fall asleep when she starts her lectures," the kitten blushed.

Hotaru turned the talisman around a few times. Then she gasped. "Now I remember... Makoto told me she met a girl named Jade in California! And she also had an uncle called Jackie... You think it was her?"

"Could be," Chibiusa pondered. "Didn't Makoto say something about how she had some magic talismans? Hey, maybe that's one of them."

Then Hotaru realized something. "Strange... there is some sort of curved line in the middle of it... like it's actually composed of two parts..."

"Maybe you can take it apart?" Chibiusa wondered. "Lemme try..."

She grabbed at the talisman hastily. "Careful, you'll break it," Hotaru said.

"I only wanna take a look..."

"Hey, stop pushing me..."

CRACK!

FLASH!

Chibiusa and Hotaru fell down on their little bums, each one of them holding one of the talisman halves. Blinking, they looked at each other.

Then they looked upwards to the faces of the two women that appeared between them.

Black Lady smiled as she looked around the landscape and took a deep breath. "Aaaah, feels good to finally get out of that sticky mind..."

Mistress 9 smirked and nodded. "Indeed, and I have the feeling our celebration of return will be exciting..."

Hotaru and Chibiusa gulped as they looked up at their evil, grown-up counterparts. Now this meant trouble...

Diana let out a nervous laugh. "This is bad, isn't it?"

* * *

All Jade heard was the surprised shout of her two new friends, then something that sounded like evil laughter. A crackling sound followed.

"Oh no, what happened now?" Jade mumbled and turned around, running back to where she met the two. "Can't I for once travel somewhere without getting thrown into some dangerous adventure..." Then she grinned. "On the other hand, it's better than this boring camp."

When she reached the place, Chibiusa was sitting on the ground and cried. Hotaru was crouching next to her, consoling her friend.

"There, there..." she murmured. "Everything's going to be fine."

Chibiusa sniffled. "B-b-but that meanie took my Luna-P! Why? I d-d-didn't do anything... Whaaaah!"

Jade sweat-dropped. "Is she always that emotional?"

Hotaru stood up and smiled. "Oh no, but she just had a hard day, that's all..."

"Okaaayyyy... what just happened here?"

Hotaru smiled again and showed Jade one half of the broken talisman. "We found this and broke it by accident, and then those two evil ladies appeared and took the other half with them... as well as her Luna-P."

Jade stared at the piece of stone in Hotaru's hand. "The Tiger Talisman..." she groaned. "Greeeaaaat... Just WHY did I bring that thing with me? It always causes trouble..."

She took a deep breath. "Okay, to make it short: The Tiger Talisman separated your evil side from your good side... Got it? Yin-Yang! And to become one with your other half, you and your evil halves have to put the Talisman back together again... while both of you are touching it..."

She scratched her head. "Well, I guess in this case it's more like 'the FOUR of you'. Dang, this is going to be hard..."

"I don't think I wanna go near those scary ladies..." Chibiusa whined. "They're mean... and dangerous."

Jade sighed. "Hey, they're just two girls like us, right? I mean, it's not like we have to find the evil half of some kick-ass martial artist like my uncle..."

"Well, they're no martial artists..." Hotaru carefully said.

"Good!" Jade smiled.

Hotaru sighed. "But they, like us, have the special powers of the..."

Chibiusa put her hand on her friend's mouth. "Hotaru," she said in a shocked voice. "We can't tell anyone about our powers. My mom told me so."

"Since when do you listen to your mom?" Hotaru frowned.

"Well... rarely in the past... and I'm horribly ashamed for that." Chibiusa cowered down. "But, there is always a time to change your ways, right?"

"I think you should tell her," Diana suddenly exclaimed. "If she has more of those Talismans Makoto told us about, she could help us."

Jade stared down at the grey kitten.

"Diana, you shouldn't talk in front of anyone that doesn't know our secret," Chibiusa scolded her. Diana smiled. "Sorry?"

"A talking cat... special powers... Wait a minute... Did you just say 'Makoto'? Don't tell me... You're Senshi as well?"

Hotaru smiled. "Well done, Jade! You're a clever girl, you know that?"

Jade groaned. "Oooooh no... instead of an evil badass like Uncle Jackie's evil side, I have two evil girls with Senshi powers... Bad day, if I may say so..."

"Actually, they're adults," Hotaru explained. "Black Lady and Mistress 9... you see, both of us turned evil once in our lives..."

"Don't remind me of that time," Chibiusa sniffled. "It was scary..."

"Whatever," Jade impatiently said. "But... you still have half of your power, right? You should be able to fight them."

Hotaru looked shocked while Chibiusa looked scared. "Fighting?" Hotaru gasped. "Oh no, that's not a good idea... We have to find a way to solve this without resorting to any senseless violence..."

"F-f-fight them?" Chibiusa squeaked. "Are you c-c-crazy? They'll kick our butts!"

Jade sighed. "Not this again..."

* * *

Mistress 9 and Black Lady peered around several trees. Before them, a small group of girls was playing. The two women smirked at each other.

"Showtime..." Mistress 9 murmured. "Oh, this will be fun..."

"After you, Missy," Black Lady grinned.

Mistress 9 scowled. "Don't call me that!" she snapped.

"Whatever you say, Missy," Chibiusa's evil counterpart snickered.

Mistress 9 growled. Then she smirked. "Okay then... let's do it... Blacky!"

Black Lady grimaced. "Point for you..." she mumbled.

* * *

Little Cassie was happily humming while she pulled her lunch box out of her backpack. Mommy prepared it for her this morning, before she left her here at the camp.

And yummy! She remembered to make her a sandwich with cheese... Perhaps she should share this with her friend...

While Cassie was busy munching on her sandwich, she didn't notice the strands of black hair that sneaked past her, grabbed her lunch box and snatched it away.

Cassie looked up... and saw two strange women pulling out her lunch of the box. "Hey! That's mine!"

'Blacky' grinned as she bit into a green apple. "Mmmm, delicious... but a little too much vitamins for my taste..."

'Missy' searched around the lunch box. "Dang! No cheese?" She looked over to the bewildered little girl and smirked. "Oh, I'll just have to help myself..." And she walked over to Cassie and took her sandwich.

After taking a bite, she nodded. "Yes, that's good..."

Cassie wailed. "Whaaaah! Miss Parker! Those mean old ladies stole my lunch box!"

Black Lady snarled angrily. "Old? Who's old?"

Suddenly, one of the camp's counselors appeared. "Hey! What are you doing here? This is a camp for children, you know? And give back that box, or I'll call the police!"

Mistress 9 grinned. "Well, she will be certainly more fun than those annoying little kids, huh? Blacky, why don't you take care of her?"

Black Lady pulled out the Luna-P. "Gladly!"

Miss Parker nervously stepped back. "What... what are you doing?"

With a puff of smoke, Luna-P turned into a handy vacuum cleaner. "Time for some spring-cleaning," the pink-haired villain smirked. And she activated her 'weapon of choice'.

SSHHHHLUUUURRRPP!

Miss Parker gasped as the Luna-P-vacuum sucked in all of her clothes except her underwear. Blushing madly, she desperately tried to cover herself.

Mistress 9 and Black Lady cackled madly as they saw how the embarrassed counselor hightailed through the trees, hoping that no one else would see her before she was able to get some other clothes.

* * *

Jade looked around the forest. "They have to be somewhere around here," she said. "Have you seen them yet?"

Chibiusa shook her head. "N-n-no way! I just c-c-can't bear looking at their s-s-scary faces." She shuddered.

Hotaru hugged her distraught friend. "Now, now... All will turn out fine, you'll see. We'll just talk to those bad ladies and tell them what they did was not nice. And when they realize how much you missed your Luna-P, they'll give it back for sure."

Jade groaned. She almost forgot how annoying the 'good' sides of a human personality can be.

"How long are they going to be like this?" Diana asked.

"Until we convince or trick the two bad ladies to take their half of the talisman and put it against the other half while our two girls over there hold it... But if your pink-haired friend stays as frightened as she is now, I have the bad feeling it won't be that easy..."

Suddenly, she saw something... Something round and black was zipping through the forest.

"Say... didn't you tell me this 'Luna-P' thingy would be a round, black ball that looks like a cat's head?"

Diana nodded. "Uh-huh!"

"Good, because I think I just saw it flying around here. Come, hurry up, you two! We may have a chance of getting them if we follow that ball."

"You know, you really should relax a little," Hotaru said. "Why don't you try doing some Yoga...?"

* * *

They managed to follow Luna-P to the entrance of a dark cave at the foot of a hill. Jade peered into the blackness.

"You sure that they're in here?" Chibiusa whined.

"Perhaps..."

Just then, a voice that was well-known to Chibiusa echoed through the dark cavern. "Yoo-hoo! Little girls wanna come in and play?"

Chibiusa squeaked. "T-that's her..."

"All right, now's our chance," Jade grinned and pulled the reluctant Chibiusa after her.

"That's right," Hotaru smiled. "After all, it's about noon... we can ask them if they'd like to have lunch with us."

* * *

Black Lady peered out of the small chasm where she and her Luna-P were hidden. She giggled. Those stupid little girls were walking right into their trap... They didn't even realize how they were walking past her...

"It's so dark..." Chibiusa just whined. "I can't see a thing..."

Black Lady scowled. How she detested that little brat. To think she was once part of her... And just the thought of becoming one with her again... horrible!

She waited a few more minutes, then stealthily hurried back to the cave's entrance. She stepped back behind the trees and sent her Luna-P up to the hilltop.

Mistress 9 smirked as she saw the cat-shaped ball approaching her. That was the signal. Now she could get her revenge on that pesky little Hotaru...

True, she wasn't the real Mistress 9, but as she had all of Hotaru's memories as well as the will to continue the real Mistress 9's evil deeds, it wasn't a big difference, she thought.

Using her supernatural strength, she shoved one of the big boulders lying around her, and let it roll over the edge of the hill.

While rolling down, it caused multiple other boulders and rocks to come down, thereby causing a small avalanche.

* * *

When Jade and her friend reached a dead end, she let out a desperate groan. "But I'm sure I heard her," she grumbled. "How could we miss her like this?"

Just then they all heard the loud rumbling of the avalanche.

In a hurry, they ran back to the entrance... and found it blocked by big boulders.

"Oh no," Hotaru shouted. "We're trapped."

"WHAAAAAH!" Chibiusa instantly wailed. "Now we'll be stuck here until we die from starvation..."

"Would you two just stay quiet for a while?" Jade snapped. "I'm trying to think here..."

There just had to be a way out of here.

Perhaps the rocks weren't really that heavy...

She decided to try it. After all, it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

She pushed her hands against the front rock and pushed with all her might.

"Um, I don't think you will be able to move that," Diana wanted to point out. But Jade wasn't listening. She used all her force to move the boulders at least a little bit.

It was like trying to move a massive truck with your bare hands.

"That's it," Jade shouted. "Do I have to call for Jackie every time I get in trouble? Move, you damn rocks, MOVE, I said!"

And suddenly, she felt a sudden surge of power within her muscles. The strength flowed through her body and gave her a new confidence.

And when she pushed this time, the rocks slowly gave way and rolled out of the way.

The other three just gasped at this display of power. "No way..." Chibiusa mumbled.

Jade grinned and flexed her arms. "Jade Power! Take this, you stupid rocks!" Then she blinked. "I wonder if I activated the Ox Talisman by accident..."

Then she remembered something. "Strange, I really didn't take the Ox Talisman with me... So how did I get that strong all of a sudden?"

She scratched her head and turned back around to her friend.

They gasped when they saw the glowing sign on Jade's forehead. A symbol showing the head of a bull...

"I can't believe it..." Hotaru murmured. "Sailor Taurus?"

* * *

"I can't believe it," Jade said, a big grin on her face. "Me, a Sailor Senshi... Just wait until I tell Jackie..."

"We can't tell anyone of our powers," Chibiusa reminded her. "It will just make us easy targets."

"Awww, bummer..." Jade whined. "Oh, doesn't matter... I still got these kick-ass powers." She flexed her arms once again. "And you tell me that if I find the Taurus Amulet, I'll become even stronger?"

"Most likely..." Hotaru said. "Although it won't be good to use all that brawns just for senseless violent acts..."

"I get the picture..." Jade groaned.

"Um, excuse me..." Diana tried to get their attention.

"But Jackie is already trying to find the amulet," Jade explained. "He already guessed it could be something similar to the Virgo Amulet, but he didn't want to risk it being stolen by someone... bad."

"Where is he right now?" Hotaru asked.

"I guess he's searching the woods around the camp..."

"Sorry, but I wanted to..." Diana tried again.

"Say, did you realize that we left the woods some minutes ago?" Chibiusa suddenly said.

They looked around. She was right... the forest was a small distance behind them. In front of them, behind a fence, they could see hills and fields.

"That's what I tried to tell you the whole time," Diana said. "If we continue walking, we'll reach the edge of the camp... and I don't think Mistress 9 and Black Lady would be there."

Jade sighed. "Well I guess we just have to turn around and go back the way we came, right?"

She picked up a small boulder, hurled it over the fence and turned around.

The boulder flew through the air, over the fence and hit a dark and massive shape standing on the field.

The bull raised his head. There he was, peacefully munching on some grass, when suddenly, a big chunk of rock hit his head. Angrily, he looked around. Whoever did that, he should be ready to face the consequences...

The he saw the three girls walking towards the forest.

He also saw Jade's t-shirt.

Jades RED t-shirt.

"MOOOOOO!"

"Huh? Did you hear that?" Jade looked around.

Diana turned around and yelped like a dog. "LOOK OUT!"

The three girls turned around... and screamed as they saw the massive shape of the bull approaching them at high speed. He easily broke through the fence and continued storming towards them. The girls turned back around and ran back towards the forest, screaming like little girls...

Well, they are little girls... Okay, not that little, but... never mind...

"Why don't you use your incredible strength to stop him?" Chibiusa shouted.

"Why don't you use your awesome Senshi powers?" Jade shouted back.

"I don't know about you two," Hotaru interfered. "But I'm not going to stop and find out if Jade is actually strong enough to take on a charging bull."

They managed to reach the forest in time, and quickly, they climbed on a tree.

The bull stopped in time before he ran into the trunk. He looked up at the three girls furiously. Then he snorted and stomped back to where he came from...

Jade let out a sigh of relief. "He's gone..."

"You think it's safe enough to climb down?" Chibiusa whined.

Jade looked after the bull. "Um, I think we should wait in case he returns..."

"Hey!" Diana suddenly shouted. "I think I found something..." She looked inside one of the tree's knotholes.

Jade grabbed inside and pulled out something shiny. When she opened her hand again, they all gasped. "The Taurus Amulet..."

* * *

"Where is the Taurus Amulet?" the horned creature roared.

Sailor Mars yelped as she dodged the massive punch of the beast. "How many times do we have to tell you? We're searching for it as well."

"Wrong answer!" The bull-headed Youma lowered his head and stormed towards the Senshi of fire to gore her.

Rei jumped up, bounced off his broad shoulders and landed behind him. "Virgo, can't you do anything to calm him down?"

"I can't," Kasumi replied. "He's filled with so much anger... Perhaps it doesn't work because he's a Youma..."

"Great, do you actually have ANY offensive powers?" Mars asked, firing a Fire Soul at the Minotaur-like beast.

The monster took the hit and snarled. "I'll bury you alive!"

Suddenly, a big blast of energy hit him from behind. The Youma slowly got up. "Who dares...?"

Jackie smirked as he held up the Dragon Talisman. "Well, Jade was right... The talismans DO come in handy..."

* * *

Black Lady sighed as she let her feet dangle down from the branch she was sitting on. "Missy... I'm bored..."

"I thought I told you not to call me that," Mistress 9 snapped. "And is it my fault that all of those kids ran away after you scared them with your 'monster imitation Luna-P'?"

Black Lady giggled as she twirled Luna-P on her index finger. "Yeah, that was kinda funny... but they left in such a hurry... I had really no time to enjoy it..."

Mistress 9 was fuming. "Oh, you're such a... such a... baby sometimes!"

"Say what?" Black Lady angrily shouted and jumped down from the tree. Angrily, she glared at her violet-haired companion. "You take that back!"

"Oh, do I?" Mistress 9 asked. "You always act like everything is a big game... You only want to have fun. Did it occur to you that we might have a bigger purpose in life than just being pranksters?"

"You're just a big spoilsport," Black Lady spat. "Do what you want, but I don't plan on doing something like the Wiseman... You know what happened to him, do you?"

Mistress 9 snarled. "You're actually not too different from that spoiled, pink-haired brat."

"You take that back!"

"Yoohoo," another voice interrupted their squabble. "Wanna have some fun?"

The two evil women turned around... and faced a Sailor Senshi.

She was as small and young as Sailor Chibimoon and Saturn, but she was someone else. Her skirt was a bright red, and her gloves were spiked with sharp knuckles.

"Who are you?" Mistress 9 demanded to know.

The girl grinned. "I am Sailor Taurus... and you're going down!"

* * *

Hotaru and Chibiusa were watching her new friend engaging their two evil counterparts.

Hotaru frowned. "I still think we should talk to them. All of this fighting... is it really necessary?"

Chibiusa shuddered. "I'm getting scared by only looking at them... How can she do this?"

Diana sighed. Although she had preferred the two young Senshi to help Sailor Taurus, they probably wouldn't be a great help in their actual state. Besides, with half of their powers being absorbed by Mistress 9 and Black Lady, they really weren't that powerful anymore...

* * *

Nimbly, Taurus dodged another strand of hair from Mistress 9.

"Hold still, dammit," the violet-haired villain growled.

"Wait a minute, I'll get her," Black Lady grinned and transformed her Luna-P into a fan. Waving it around, she created a massive burst of wind that flew towards the young Senshi. But Jade saw it in time and jumped aside. Instead, it hit Mistress 9 and threw her to the ground.

"Watch where you're shooting!" she shouted.

Black Lady chuckled nervously. "Oops..."

Sailor Taurus raised her hands. "Time to shake you around a bit... Hammer Shockwave!"

And in a flash, two metal hammers appeared on her hands, attached to her gloves. She raised them high into the air and smashed them onto the ground. A massive shockwave rippled over the earth's surface and threw Black Lady and Mistress 9 high into the air.

Taurus quickly pulled out the ropes she had prepared and grabbed one of her trusty talismans.

"Rabbit Talisman, do your stuff..." She activated the magic and burst forward with the speed of the rabbit. She caught the descending villains, ran to a tree, and quickly bound the two of them to it's trunk with the rope.

Finally she stepped back and looked at her work. She nodded. Yes, nicely done...

The two women struggled against their bonds. "That's the last time I work with an incompetent loser like you," Mistress 9 told Black Lady.

"Oh, shut up, Missy," Black Lady growled back.

Jade smirked while Chibiusa and Hotaru came out of their hiding place. "Okay, now that this is settled..."

Chibiusa smiled as a round, black shape came flying towards her. "Luna-P!" She smiled and hugged the little ball.

Hotaru took a look at the two bound villains. "Well, I still think you shouldn't have been this violent... but at least you won."

Jade sighed. "You know, it's really time to re-merge you two with your dark counterparts... Chibiusa, you really think this idea of yours works?"

The pink-haired girl stepped forward. "Um, yes... at least I think so..." She held up her Luna-P.

"We need some handcuffs."

And with a puff of smoke, Luna-P turned into the needed item.

Jade took them and approached the two women with a smirk.

"Don't you dare," Mistress 9 hissed, but Jade had already connected both of their hands with the handcuffs.

"Now let's see..." She rummaged through the dress of the dark-haired villain.

"Hey! Get away from there!"

With a triumphant smile, Jade pulled out the dark side of the Tiger Talisman. "Okay, now to put it in your hands..." She grinned and cut off one of Mistress 9's dark hairs.

"Ow! Hey, what's the big idea?"

Still grinning, Jade put the talisman half into the hands of Mistress 9 and Black Lady and bound them tightly with the strand of hair. "Now, if you girls would..."

Hotaru and Chibiusa stepped forward, the latter one still nervous.

Hotaru raised the light part of the Tiger Talisman. Chibiusa grabbed it as well, and together, they approached their bound counterparts.

"NO! DON'T..." Black Lady screamed, but it was already too late.

The two halves of the Tiger Talisman reconnected, and with a flash, the four different bodies became two.

The Tiger Talisman clattered to the ground. Jade smirked and picked it up.

Chibiusa wrapped her arms around her body and shuddered. "We're... we're normal again, aren't we? Huh, to think that this evil... woman is a part of me... But still, I prefer my normal self to that scary crybaby I've turned into."

Diana smiled. "Good to see you're okay."

Jade pocketed the Tiger Talisman and looked down at her amulet with a smile. "Now how do I explain this to Jackie?"

"Aaaaaaah!" With a loud yell, Jackie came flying out of the bushes and rolled over the ground.

Jade sighed. "Jackie always knows how to make an entrance..."

Suddenly, a small tree got snapped in half when a massive shape came crashing out of the forest. It was humanoid, but very big and VERY muscular. It was walking on two big hooves and its head looked like a bull's head with the facial expressions of a human. He wore some sort of mask, but his horns, ears and snout stuck out of it.

His gaze fell on Sailor Taurus. He grinned. "Give me the amulet!" he demanded and stretched out his arm.

Sailor Taurus scowled. "In your dreams, buddy!"

The bull-creature grinned and picked up the small tree he had broken in half. Swinging it around like a club, he tried to hit the young Senshi.

Jade braced herself and caught it with both of her hands, stopping the powerful swing.

While sweating, she struggled against the might of the powerful Youma. She shouted: "Hey Hotaru! You're still thinking violence isn't a solution?"

Saturn grinned. "Saturn Star Power, Make Up!"

Sailor Saturn smirked and summoned her Silence Glaive. "I say: Let's kick his butt!"

Jackie stood up and rubbed his head. "Ow... what hit me?"

"Stay back, Mr. Chan," Chibiusa warned him. "We'll take care of this."

She grasped her locket. "Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"

Jackie just stared as Chibiusa turned into Chibimoon.

He stared even more when Sailor Saturn hacked the big tree club of the Youma in two, using her weapon.

"I've been saved by young girls..." he muttered. "Jackie, you have to work on your fighting skills, old buddy..."

Growling, the bull-monster threw away the tree. "I'll take you out with my bare hands!"

Taurus smirked. "Bring it on!"

The Youma roared and lowered his head. Like a bull, he came charging towards the young Senshi.

Jade watched him calmly as he came closer. She only had to grab him by his horns...

Then she gasped as she looked at his head. This mask... could it be...?

Then she once again concentrated on the fight, grabbed the monster's horns and threw him over her shoulder. Using her new strength, this was easy.

Just then, Mars and Virgo came running out of the forest. "Chibimoon! Saturn! Are you all right?" Mars asked. But when she saw Sailor Taurus, she gasped.

Chibimoon grinned. "Yeah, not only found we the Taurus Amulet, but Sailor Taurus as well."

The massive beast stood up from the ground. "You... I'll pound you into the ground!"

"Not today," Taurus shouted. "Mars... um, that's your name, isn't it? Well... Mars, I give you my power!"

Mars felt Taurus' power flowing through her. She stretched her arms out to the left and right.

Moving them around in a circle, she shouted: "RED BULL!"

Above her head, a round portal of fire appeared, out of which a big bull made of flames stormed. He jumped to the ground and looked at the horned Youma.

Kasumi blinked. "Red Bull?"

Rei sighed. "Well, yeah..."

Chibiusa stared. "RED BULL?"

"Yeah, I didn't choose the name..." Rei said.

Hotaru snickered. "Red Bull..."

"Okay, I GOT it already," Mars snarled angrily. "Now, could we please continue this fight?"

She gestured towards the Youma. The flaming bull charged at its opponent, hurling him upwards with its horns. Then, it jumped up and surrounded the monster with a sphere of flames. Afterwards, it vanished.

Scorched and battered, the horned beast fell to the ground. Growling, it slowly raised its head.

Jade stared. "No WAY! He's still alive after that attack?"

"Not... not bad," he chuckled. "You win this round, Senshi... But I'll be back, just you know it... Remember my name, because I will be the one that kills you: I am... Minaton!"

And he vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

Sighing, Jade looked to the ground. She really hoped she was wrong, but... that mask... the voice... could it really be?

"I felt something..." Mars suddenly said. "I think that was no normal Youma... it might have been a normal human, turned into this monster."

"I think I heard his voice somewhere before," Jackie murmured as he approached the five Senshi.

"You're right, Jackie," Jade sighed as she dropped her Senshi transformation.

"What the...?" Jackie said. "Jade?"

Jade looked up at him. "It was... El Toro Fuerte!"


	11. The Cancer Amulet

"So, here we are... once again at a beach." Ranma looked around, having already changed into his female self in case they had to fight some Youmas.

It was really interesting to see how Ranma, someone that hated his girl side, that had been searching for a cure for such a long time, was adapting to the fact that he was a Sailor Senshi, that he NEEDED his girl side to do the job.

Michiru stood in front of the ocean and inhaled the nice breeze. She was always feeling so... calm when she was at the seaside...

"OUCH! Stupid crabs, always trying to snap at my toes!"

"Well, I told you it was a stupid idea walking barefoot in the sand!"

"How was Shampoo supposed to know that crabs at Italian beaches are that aggressive?"

"You wouldn't have that problem if you had stayed at home, you know?"

"And let Ranma go with violent girl? Shampoo no think so!"

Michiru sighed. With those two girls around, it was hard staying calm, even when at the seaside...

"You sure the amulet is around here?" Ranma muttered. "'Cause I don't see nuthin' here but sand, water and palm trees..."

"Well, Setsuna said some pirates once stole it from the previous owner... and from what she knows, those pirates must have had their hideout somewhere around here..."

"I hope there aren't any pirates left," Akane grimaced.

Shampoo smirked. "Aaaah, violent girl is scared? No worry, Shampoo will protect her Airen..."

"In your dreams!"

Michiru groaned. She was trying to find something in her mirror for some time now, but it was really not easy with those two squabbling girls around...

"Can't you two tell your Senshi to keep quiet?" she moaned and looked up at the two flying fishes.

Fun grinned while hovering next to his sister. "Hey, we're advisors, no commanders!"

"Although it would be nice if they would stop it already..." Fin groaned. "It's very hard to cover your ears if you don't have hands..."

"Hey," Ranma shouted suddenly. "There's something shiny behind that palm trees..."

He was right. Michiru shook her head. "If this is the amulet, we surely had it easy..."

"Knowing our luck, it's something else," Ranma grumbled.

She was right. It was no golden amulet.

It was a laptop.

They stared down at the portable computer resting in the sand, it's screen shining in a bright light. "Who the heck would leave his laptop here at the beach?" Michiru wondered.

Ranma knelt down and looked at the screen. "I'm no expert regarding computers, but I don't think it's normal for it to shine like that..."

"Maybe it's some sort of screensaver," Michiru guessed.

Shampoo blinked. She knew next to nothing about computers, so she really didn't know what Michiru meant. She knelt down as well. "Perhaps amulet is hidden within computer?"

Akane groaned. "Shampoo, you can't hide something like an amulet in a computer..."

Shampoo shrugged and reached out to touch the screen with her finger.

And suddenly, they all got sucked inside.

* * *

Somewhere else, on a different beach, in a different world, another screen lit up and spit out four female shapes that fell over each other as they landed in the sand. Two fluttering fishes followed instantly.

Akane shook her head and spit out some sand. "Great job, Shampoo... Really, well done... stupid..."

"Hey, was Shampoo supposed to know that computers are doing something like this?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Shampoo, Akane," Michiru said as she stood up. "Computers really don't do this normally." She looked around. "Is this the same beach?"

Fin smirked. "I doubt it," she said and pointed to their right with her fin.

Akane blinked as she saw the lined up phone booths standing at the beach. "That's... strange..."

Fun gasped. "It gets even weirder! Look!" He looked upwards.

Over their heads, a swarm of strange-looking insects was flying over their heads. They kinda looked like giant dragonflies.

Shampoo gasped. "Shampoo never seen bugs that big."

"I don't think we're in Italy anymore..." Michiru murmured.

Suddenly, Ranma smelt something... something good... She grinned. "Food! Come on everybody, it's that way!" She ran into the forest of palm trees.

Akane groaned. "How typical for Ranma... always thinking with her stomach..."

They followed her anyway.

When they reached her, she was standing in front of a big, colorful building. It was a restaurant.

Michiru sniffed. "Smells like pizza..."

Ranma grinned. "Well, we still don't know where we are, but we still can eat something in here... and maybe we can find someone who can help us further."

"You have a point there," Akane admitted reluctantly. Besides, she was hungry as well.

So they just went inside.

Ranma stared as he looked at the... being that was standing behind the counter.

"Am I the only one that is seeing a big egg with eyes standing behind that counter?" she whispered.

Akane laughed nervously. "No, I think we see it too, Ranma..."

"Oh... I'm not going mad, then?"

"Only if we're going mad as well," Michiru mumbled.

The big egg seemed to smile at them, although there was no mouth visible. "Welcome to Digitamamon's pizzeria! May I take your orders?"

* * *

Ranma greedily munched down her pizza. "Wow, this is good," she mumbled with her mouth full. "Kinda reminds me of Ucchan's okonomiyaki, but is still different."

Shampoo was slurping some spaghetti. "This 'pasta' is like ramen, yes? But uses wrong kind of sauce..."

Michiru chuckled. "Must you always compare everything with Japanese food? This is Italian food, of course it's different."

Digitamamon's waitress, a plant Digimon called Alraumon, came up to them and placed Akane's dish in front of her: A Pizza Calzone, a wrapped pizza stuffed with meat and sauce.

"Here you are," the white-bloomed plant Digimon said in her pleasant voice. "Enjoy your meal."

Akane smiled. "Thanks. By the way... we have some questions... could you help us further?"

Alraumon smiled. "Sure! What's the problem?"

"Well, we kinda got lost... Can you tell us where we are?"

Alraumon thought about that question and tapped her long, thorn-like finger against her chin. "Well... you're humans, so I guess you are either Digidestined or just people that stumbled by accident into the Digital World, right?"

"Digital World?" Ranma mumbled. "What's that?"

"I thought so," Alraumon replied. "At first I thought those flying fishes are Digimon as well..." She pointed to Fin and Fun. "But I've never seen Digimon like that before... Well, to make it short, the Digital World is just... this! It's our home world, in which we Digimon live. I'm not too sure myself how it is connected to your human world, but... I heard some rumours several Digimon picked up when they were talking to the real Digidestined. They said something like 'the Digital World would be composed of data'... whatever that means..."

Michiru and Akane exchanged a quick glance. That would be a good explanation why that laptop brought them here.

"But who are the 'Digidestined'?" Ranma asked.

"Well..." Alraumon started.

Just then another customer entered the pizzeria. It was a human girl, around Hotaru's age, sporting black hair bound in two ponytails. She was wearing a summer dress and was accompanied by a Digimon that looked like a big crab.

"I think that question should be answered by a Digidestined herself," she said with a smile.

* * *

After a while, they all introduced themselves. The girl was called Maria, and she was from Venice. She explained to the Senshi what being a Digidestined meant:

"We and our Digimon partners guard both the Digital World and the real world from disaster," she told them. "The first Digidestined were from Japan, I think... your home country. But, over the time, portals all over the world opened, and children from many different countries met their own Digimon partners for the first time."

She looked down at her own partner with a smile. "I first met Crabmon three years ago... I was scared at first, but he explained everything to me. Together, we already fought some evil Digimon, and we also brought back some Digimon into the Digital World that had entered the real world by accident."

Ranma looked down at Crabmon. "He is a pretty big crab, that's true... But he doesn't look too strong to me."

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm small," Crabmon spoke up. "I can be pretty tough... and if my opponent turns out to be more dangerous than I can handle, Maria can always help me to digivolve."

"Digivolve?" Akane wondered. "What's that?"

Maria gave her a mysterious look. "I'll show you some time... but not now."

"We came here with some computer that was lying on the beach," Michiru explained. "Do you know anything about it?"

Maria nodded. "Yes, that's my laptop. As I'm the only Digidestined from Italy, I have not much friends I can share this secret with... I can't use my computer at home to enter the Digital World, or my parents would get suspicious... And that hidden cove where you found my laptop is the ideal place... People mostly don't come there, so I can hide my laptop and use it to enter the Digital World from there. The only problem is that I have to leave it behind... And as I said, I know no one that could watch it for me, while I'm away..."

"I can see your problem," Michiru nodded. "If someone finds it and switches it off..."

"Yes, I would be stuck here for a while. I could use other portals, but I'd never know to which computer they would lead me... And as I said, I don't want too many people to know about this..."

"I can imagine," Michiru nodded. "I had a similar problem once..."

"Really?" Maria wondered.

"Um, yes, but that's in the past... never mind..." Michiru said hastily. She almost said something that gave away their identities as a Senshi... And while this girl just had told them something similar of herself, it just was too dangerous to tell other people that they were Senshi.

Just then, Digitamamon came to their table. "Well, I believe it's time for the bill, right?"

"Oh... sure!" Michiru searched for her wallet. "Just a moment..."

She pulled out some Yen notes. "Here you are."

Digitamamon frowned. "I'm afraid I can't accept those as payment... I only accept American Dollars!"

"You're kidding, right?" Akane blurted out.

"Well, I have some Euro," Michiru said. "But when we left for Italy, I'd never expected that we would need American Dollars to pay for our meals."

"Well, that's too bad." The big, talking egg now sounded angry. "Because here, we only accept American Dollars. No dollars, no meal. You ate your meals already... that means you have to work off your debts."

"Just wait a damn second..." Ranma started, but Maria pulled out several dollar notes and put them on the table.

"There you are," she smiled. "That should be sufficient, right?"

Digitamamon looked at the money with a frown. "Well... okay, you're off the hook this time. But remember, the next time, I want to see some real cash, not this silly paper." Angrily, he looked at the Yen notes.

Alraumon came up behind her boss. "Do you have to pull that stunt every time humans come to eat in our restaurant?" she growled. "They're customers too, you know?"

Digitamamon grumbled something unintelligible and walked back behind the counter. Alraumon sighed and took the money. "Please excuse him, but I simply can't make him understand that not all humans pay in dollars... One of his two brothers has a similar attitude problem... Aw, if they only were a little more like their third brother... He is a nice Digitamamon, you have to visit his Chinese restaurant some time... Well, I have to take care of the other customers... See you later!"

After Alraumon left, Maria looked at her Japanese guests. "Well, as you don't know this place as well as I do... What do you say if I lead you around for a while?"

"I'm sorry, Maria," Michiru said. "But we're a bit in a hurry... See, we're searching for this golden amulet..."

"An amulet with a crab on its surface?" Maria asked.

Michiru was taken aback. "Yes," she replied. "That's exactly the one we're looking for. Did you see it? Is it in Italy or here in the Digital World?"

Maria seemed to think about something for a few seconds. Then she nodded and said: "Well, I can tell you where it is... but first, there is a favor I'm asking of you..."

"A favor?" Michiru asked. "What kind of favor?"

"Well, it's like this: I have a friend, Muchomon... She is the owner of a Digimon hotel nearby, together with her boyfriend, Betamon. You know, Betamon is actually the Digimon partner of a certain Digidestined from America, Michael... But they haven't seen each other for a long time now.

Well, but during their time they travelled in the Digital World, they made some friends, but also enemies... One of those enemies was a Digimon that had the ability to change his appearance, so that he may look like any other Digimon. Until now, they never really discovered his true form. His name is Camouflagemon."

"Sounds like a nasty guy," Ranma said. "Lemme guess: He's back for revenge, huh?"

"That's right," Crabmon nodded. "And with Michael in the United States, Betamon can't digivolve by himself, so he's an easy target for Camouflagemon."

"Again with that 'digivolve' thing," Akane muttered.

"Digivolving allows a Digimon to reach a higher level of power," Maria explained. "They turn into a different form and get great powers. The Digimon partners of the Digidestined can digivolve with the use of their Digivices..." She pulled out a strange-looking device.

"As Maria said, Muchomon is an old friend of ours," Crabmon continued. "She asked me and Maria to help her boyfriend search for Camouflagemon. Betamon is deathly afraid of what he will do to him if he finds him..."

"You want us to help find dangerous Digimon, right?" Shampoo asked.

Maria and Crabmon nodded.

Michiru hesitated. "Look, Maria, don't get a wrong impression of us... We just found the entrance to the Digital World by accident and..."

"We'll do it," Ranma said. "It's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak."

"Shampoo agree," the Amazon nodded. "Have to help those who are in need of help."

"I don't think we have anything better to do," Fin smiled. Fun just nodded.

Akane smirked. "Let's get that guy!"

Michiru shook her head. She would never get used to those martial artists... If it weren't for their natural fighting power without using their Senshi abilities, she would have protested...

Maria smiled. "Great! I'll tell my friends you're helping me. The hotel is easy to find... just follow the path between the palm trees, okay? See you then..."

She left the pizzeria. Crabmon scurried after her.

When they were outside, Crabmon looked up at his partner. "Why didn't you tell them the truth?" he asked. "Besides, why do you think they might be able to help us? They don't even have Digimon partners."

Maria pulled out something from her shirt. It was a golden amulet, dangling from her neck, with the picture of a crab on its surface.

"I don't know," she said. "I just... felt that they had to have impressive powers that might be helpful. And I want to get that Camouflagemon, he nearly killed Muchomon that one time. But... I still want to know if they're like me... or not."

On her head, the sign of Cancer was shining for a short instant.

* * *

"Well, I must say..." Ranma murmured as she looked up the big building. "It sure looks impressive."

The Digimon Hotel was a 10-storied building, and was surrounded by a beautiful park, a pool area and the beach itself. Digimon of all types could be seen playing and relaxing all over the place. The hotel sure looked like it was a very popular place.

"I'm sorry to say it, but we have no time to gawk," Fin reminded her companions. "Isn't Maria waiting for us inside? So, let's go already..." Suddenly, she realized something. She looked around. "Hey, where's Fun?"

The male half of the flying fish duo was looking through some hedges at the pool area of the hotel.

"He he he..." he chuckled. "Look at all those cute Digimon gals..."

Fin whacked him on the head with her fin. "Quit being a Peeping Tom!" she growled.

Fun groaned. "You're no fun..."

* * *

After entering the lobby of the hotel, Michiru asked for directions to the managers office. A Gekomon, a green frog-like Digimon, showed them the way.

They took the elevator to the top floor and knocked on the door. A high female voice called: "Come in!"

The Senshi entered a big office in which Maria and Crabmon were talking to two other Digimon. Those must be Muchomon and Betamon, Michiru thought.

A plump bird-Digimon with bright red feathers smiled (as far as that was possible for someone with a beak). "Ah, you must be the friends Maria told us about. Please, come in! I'm Muchomon, the hotel's manager! Would you like something to drink?"

They all politely declined and sat down. Muchomon introduced them to her boyfriend Betamon, a green amphibian Digimon with sharp teeth and a red mohawk.

"So, um..." Betamon seemed pretty nervous. "Maria told me you could help us find Camouflagemon... is that right?"

"Well, we can at least try..." Michiru started.

"Of course we'll help," Ranma instantly said.

"We'll be happy to," Akane nodded.

"Let evil Digimon come! Shampoo will take care of it!"

Michiru sighed. Why was it that she was never able to finish a sentence with those three girls around? (Okay, two and a half girls)

Betamon let out a sigh of relief. "I'm happy to hear that. You know, I haven't been able to sleep since this letter arrived four days ago..." He showed them a small piece of paper.

Michiru picked it up and read: "It has been a long time, but I finally found you! Prepare for your doom! Camouflagemon."

Betamon shivered. "Can you imagine how it is to know that there is someone out there to kill you? And to know that ANY Digimon in the hotel could be the one?"

"Now now, calm down," Muchomon told her boyfriend. "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"

Suddenly, something knocked against the window.

"AAAAAAAAHH!" Betamon screamed and dove under the table. "It's Camouflagemon!"

Maria looked outside and sighed. It was just a small Patamon wearing a waiter's bow tie who was carrying a tray with drinks.

Muchomon opened the window. "What's the matter, Patamon? I always tell you to use the elevator or the stairs."

"I only wanted to know if anyone wanted a drink..." Patamon said in an offended tone of voice.

After the small, winged mammal flew down again, Betamon crawled out from under the table.

"My poor nerves..." he groaned. "I don't know for how long I can stand this. Please, Maria... Promise me you'll find him soon, okay?"

"We'll do our best," Maria assured him.

"Yeah, when we find that guy, he can prepare himself for a round of mallet-whopping!" Akane grinned.

"Well... do you have any clues on how we can recognize him?" Michiru said. "In addition, does he have some kind of behavior that's typical for him?"

Betamon scratched his mohawk. "Well... his eyes sometimes flash yellow, especially when he's excited about something... And he has this awful laugh... It kinda goes like this: 'Bweheheheheh...'"

"Bweheheheheh..." Shampoo said in a thoughtful voice and nodded. "Shampoo remember that..."

"So, what's your plan?" Ranma asked Maria. "You wanna take a look at all hotel guests and see if they have yellow flashing eyes?"

"We just have to be observant," Maria replied. "Anyone who acts suspicious could be our disguised villain."

"I see it already, this will take a while," Michiru sighed. "Maria... are you sure the Cancer Amulet will be safe where it is? I don't want anyone to take it away while we're busy searching for Camouflagemon."

"Don't worry," Maria smiled. "It's safe!"

"Of course we can provide a room for you in which you can stay during your search," Muchomon assured them. "The least we can do for our helpers..." She looked into her guestbook. "Oh dear... looks like we only have only two rooms left, each with two beds..." She smiled. "Well, that should be sufficient, right?"

"Ranma sleeps in my room!" two loud female voices immediately shouted.

"Why should he be in YOUR room?" Akane asked the lavender-haired Amazon. "So you two can do some perverted stuff together?"

"Shampoo no is perverted. Only wants to save Airen from violent tomboy girl. If Airen sleeps in your room, he surely will suffer from brain damage from too many hits with hammer."

"Um... may I say something?" Ranma weakly tried to interfere.

"NO!"

Michiru groaned. Yes, this journey truly was a challenge for her patience...

* * *

"Wow, would you look at that?" Fun sighed. "The sun, the sea, the beach... This Digimon Hotel is almost like one of the luxury hotels in Italy."

"True, but don't get too comfortable," Fin murmured while looking around the pool. "It's midday, and we still haven't found the slightest clue..."

"I hate it when you're right..." her brother grumbled.

Ranma (wearing a green one-piece Maria had lent her) was looking all over the pool area, watching every Digimon she came across carefully.

After some time, she groaned. "Oh man... this is gonna take days. I still don't know if I have already checked every Digimon around here or not."

"Keep looking," Michiru answered. "We could search for the Cancer Amulet by ourselves, but if Maria says the truth, I doubt we would find it on our own... Besides, we promised we would help her."

"You're right, I only..." Suddenly, Ranma blinked. "Hey... would you look at that?"

At the other side of the pool, a strange character was sitting in a chair, sipping from a drink. They couldn't see his face or most of his body, as he was wearing a thick trench coat, a hat and a pair of shades. They could only see a long snout and a reptilian tail sticking out of his clothes.

"Why would anyone put on such warm clothes when it's this warm?" Michiru wondered. "How does he stand that? He must be awfully hot under that thing."

Ranma frowned. "Ya think it might be... you-know-who?"

"Might be... but we can't just jump to conclusions. Let's see... how are we gonna make sure he's the one we're looking for?"

"Leave that to us," Crabmon chuckled as he looked up to them. "Are you coming, you two?" he asked the two fishes.

Fun grinned. "Anytime."

After a few minutes, the strange individual put down his empty glass on a table, stood up and walked inside the hotel. Crabmon and the flying fishes followed him.

They saw him waiting for the elevator.

"It's now or never," Crabmon whispered. When the door opened and the Digimon with the trench coat entered, they quickly ran to the elevator doors as well.

"Wait! We also want to go up." The other Digimon nodded and took a step aside, so they all could enter the small room.

While they elevator went upwards, Crabmon gave his new friends a sign with his pincers. They nodded.

"I can't believe you ogled all those Digimon girls at the pool," Fin suddenly shouted.

"Hey, what should I say... I'm quite the ladies' man," Fun grinned.

"That's enough, Fun! You'll stop this lecherous behavior, or else..."

"Or else WHAT?" Fun asked, leaning forward. "Think I'm afraid of a girl like you?"

"You better be!" Fin shouted back.

"Ah, sure... in a million years, perhaps..."

WHACK! Fin's fin whapped him on the head.

"Alright, you asked for it..." the male fish grumbled.

WHACK! His own fin hit his sister's head.

"Hey! You don't hit a lady!"

"I don't see no ladies around here!"

"Come back here!"

They flitted around the small room, zipping around the trench coat-wearing Digimon, and finally bumping against his hat.

"No!" he shouted as his shades fell down as well. "Oh, great..."

Crabmon stared at the Digimon with wide eyes. "Wow! You're Agumon!"

Fin and Fun dropped their 'chasing act' and looked at Crabmon. "Who?"

"He's THE Agumon," Crabmon said in an excited voice. "The Digimon partner of the famous Digidestined Tai. He helped defeating Devimon, Etemon, Myotismon AND the Dark Masters."

"And I tried so hard NOT to be recognized..." the orange dinosaur sighed as he took off his trench coat.

* * *

He invited the three to his room.

"You know, being famous is not as nice as everyone thinks..." he sighed. "Anywhere I go, the Digimon are after me, wanting my autograph, asking me just HOW I managed to defeat Piedmon... It's driving me nuts, I tell you."

"I can imagine," Fin said understandingly.

"And now I just wanted to relax, to take a vacation without all those pestering fans... So I dressed up in these clothes so no one would recognize me. Muchomon and Betamon know about this... they promised me not to tell anyone."

Suddenly, he grew nervous. "You... you aren't going to tell anyone, do you?"

"Don't worry," Fun said. "We can keep a secret. We won't tell."

"Really?"

"Sure," Crabmon nodded. "You'll only have to... give me an autograph!"

* * *

In the evening, they still hadn't managed to find a single trace of Camouflagemon. Maria, Akane and Shampoo had been searching along the beach, but to no avail.

When Maria heard about Agumon, she frowned. "That was pretty careless, Crabmon," she scolded her partner. "What if that had been the real Camouflagemon? You know you can't digivolve when I'm not around."

"Sorry..." the crab Digimon mumbled.

Maria smiled. "Even so... good work!"

Ranma looked at Akane. She looked angry. "Hey, what's up?"

"I've been pestered the whole day by some perverted Digimon," she grumbled. "Some yellow slime-thing called Sukamon and his little rat-friend Chuumon... They just couldn't leave me alone."

"Oh... did you pull out your mallet?"

"You bet I did!"

Shampoo grinned. "Violent girl let them fly like space rocket. Shampoo was glad for once that she has mallet. Would have used bonbori on pervert Digimon, if Shampoo had the chance..."

Fun was resting on Shampoo's head, looking in a certain direction. He sighed.

Fin frowned when she followed his gaze. "Fun, although our chase in the elevator was just an act... Quit ogling all the girls!"

"I can't help it," he defended himself. "Just look at her... That grace! That elegant tail! That shiny black fur..." Again, he sighed.

The others followed his gaze. "BlackGatomon?" Maria wondered. "You're crazy about that female feline? Fun, she's a cat, you know? And you're a fish..."

"I don't mind..." he mumbled. "She's my dream girl..."

"I think she already has a boyfriend," Ranma said as she saw the Digimon sitting at the same table as BlackGatomon.

It was a Gizamon, a cross between a mammal and an amphibian, with orange-yellow fur and a ridge of spikes running along his back. He was grinning at the black cat Digimon affectionately.

"I promise," he just told her. "Tomorrow, I'll personally catch you the biggest fishes that can be found in the ocean... And I'll prepare them for dinner, just for you!"

BlackGatomon blushed. "Oh, you are too nice... You know, I just LOVE sportive men like you..."

Gizamon gave her a small bow and kissed her paw. "And I adore you, BlackGatomon... you're the most beautiful Digimon lady I've seen in my life..."

"I think I'm gonna puke..." Fun grumbled. "She just doesn't deserve such a cocky twerp like him..."

Akane grinned. "Fun, I think you're jealous."

* * *

The following day, they continued to search.

This time, Ranma and Akane were searching at the beach.

"Poor Fun," Akane said. "I think this time it's something serious, unlike his normal lecherous behavior... But that BlackGatomon doesn't look like a girl that would be interested in someone like him. What do you think, Ranma?"

Ranma shuddered. "I'd wish you would stop talking about that c-c-c... feline person. Something about her gives me the creeps..."

"I think that's just your Neko-ken speaking, Ranma."

Then she saw a familiar face. "Hey, Ranma... isn't that Gizamon?" What's he doing there?"

"He looks like he's plotting something..." the pig-tailed red-head assumed.

And indeed, the crawling sea Digimon seemed to be very nervous. He was looking behind his back all the time and was scurrying through the bushes growing under the palm trees like some sort of sneaky thief.

"Something's not right here," Akane said with a frown. "He said he wanted to go fishing, right? So what's he doing?"

"Let's follow him and find out," Ranma suggested. "Perhaps we're lucky and he's the disguised Digimon we're searching for."

They kept their distance, but made sure not to lose track of him. Gizamon was very edgy and only moved if he was certain that no one followed him.

"I hope he's not just meeting BlackGatomon on a little date," Ranma whispered. "I don't wanna see that black c-c-c... you know?"

Finally, Gizamon slipped out of the bushes and ran towards the sea. A small, white-furred Digimon was just coming out of the waves, dragging a large bag behind.

"Ah, there you are," Gizamon said. "You have everything?"

"Sure have," the other Digimon responded. As he approached Gizamon, they realized it was a Gomamon, a white-furred seal Digimon.

Gizamon took the bag and looked inside. "Yes, very good... and now, here's the promised reward..." He pulled out some money.

"He's buying something..." Akane said. "But I can't see what it is."

"Lemme take a look..." Ranma slowly leaned forward while putting her hand on Akane's shoulder.

"Watch out, Ranma, I'm gonna slip..."

"Whoa!" And in a heap of limbs and leaves, the two girls came stumbling out of the bushes.

Gizamon almost jumped into the air from the shock. "Wh-what? Wh-what are you doing here? I-I saw you in the hotel..."

Ranma grinned while standing up. "Um, you know... We just came here, going for a stroll..."

Gizamon sighed. "Never mind... I guess the game's up, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Akane asked. "What were you doing here, anyway?"

Gizamon opened the bag the Gomamon gave him. "I was buying fishes... for BlackGatomon... I guess you know how much she means to me... She always told me how she liked sportive men... so I told her I was an excellent diver. I wanted to impress her by bringing her all those fishes... But, the truth is, I can't even swim..." He looked really ashamed now.

"Don't worry," Akane smiled. "You secret is safe with us."

"Man," Ranma groaned. "How many secretive Digimon are in this hotel anyway?"

* * *

"...and that's about it," Michiru finished their report to Betamon and Muchomon. "The only 'clues' we got were Agumon in disguise and a love-sick pseudo-athlete."

"And let's not even begin with the Mojiyamon we met," Maria sighed. "He always climbed out of his room's window using a rope made of bed sheets... But not because he's a spy or something, he only wanted to get some snacks from the kitchen without his girlfriend noticing..."

"In other words, Camouflagemon could still be in the hotel, but he doesn't have to be..." Akane added.

Betamon shivered. "That doesn't really sound comforting. What am I supposed to do now?"

"You can't do anything about it," his girlfriend said. "Just distract your thoughts from him by concentrating on our hotel."

Just then, someone knocked at the door of the office. Immidiately after that, a Honeybeemon stuck his head inside.

"I have a package for Mr. Betamon," the insect Digimon said as he buzzed inside. "Please, sign here..."

"You're not the normal mailman, are you?" Crabmon asked.

The Honeybeemon shook his head. "Nope, Penguinmon took a day off. I'm doing the job for him today."

Betamon nodded, took the parcel and signed a small note. Honeybeemon nodded and left. "Have a nice day... bweheheheheh."

Something in Shampoo's mind shook her awake.

'Bweheheheheh?'

She snatched the parcel out of Betamon's fins. She heard some ticking from the inside.

"Is a bomb!" she shouted and threw it out of the window. Right after that, she dashed after the Honeybeemon, through the corridor.

She caught up with him in front of the hotel's main entrance. "You is Camouflagemon!" she shouted and threw him to the ground.

Ranma and the others just arrived as Shampoo had Honeybeemon in a headlock. "You change back to normal right now, you hear Shampoo?"

"HELP ME!" Honeybeemon shouted. "INSANE HUMANS!!"

"Stop! Shampoo, let him go!" Maria shouted. "It's all a misunderstanding."

She picked up the parcel and the remains of its contents. "And your so-called 'bomb' is only an alarm clock Betamon had ordered... Well, it WAS an alarm clock..."

Shampoo giggled nervously. "Oops!"

As soon as she let go of the Honeybeemon, he flew away as fast as his little wings could carry him. "Just a little job, he says," he mumbled. "Boy, I'm never doing people little favors again if it turns out like this..."

Muchomon glared at Shampoo, then at Maria. "I must say, I'm not very impressed of the 'help' you and your friends promised us, Maria! If this continues I fear I have to look for a real help and contact the Digidestined from Japan... Have a nice day!"

And she walked off, dragging her boyfriend after her.

Shampoo really looked embarrassed now. "Shampoo is sorry..."

"It's okay, you meant well," Maria sighed. "And if it really had been a bomb, you would have saved Betamon's life, I guess... But, what are we going to do now?"

* * *

They still spent the rest of the day searching for Camouflagemon, but they all were a little depressed from what happened. Only Ranma was still focused on the case.

"C'mon, you guys," she said as she found her friends sitting on the hotel's terrace, taking a little break. "If we give up now, the creep's gonna strike before we find him."

"You may be right, Ranma," Michiru responded. "But do you have any idea where we should look? I mean, he can change his appearance every time... We could easily have seen him many times before without realizing it. And the only clues we got are the gleaming yellow eyes and his laugh... and even that isn't exactly fool-proof, as today proved."

"I'm just so... embarrassed..." Maria mumbled. "Betamon was always one of my best friends, and now I fear Muchomon won't even speak with me anymore."

Just then, Muchomon came walking past them. She didn't even look in their direction as she carried a tray of empty jars back to the kitchen entrance.

"See?" Maria sighed. "She acts as if she didn't know us anymore..."

Akane was angry. "I really wonder about that bird sometimes. She should be happy we're helping her and her boyfriend."

Just then, Fin came flitting out of the door. "Hey, there you are! I'm having some trouble finding Fun. Perhaps he's still going after that black cat..." She frowned. "Oh well... Hey, why the long faces? Is it because Muchomon? She just walked past me. You know, she had the strangest expression on her face. And her eyes... I swear it, they sure were gleaming strangely. I always thought she had blue eyes, not yellow ones..."

It took a moment for the others to realize what Fin said.

They gasped.

"Ya think...?" Ranma stuttered.

"But... we just saw her half an hour ago, and her eyes were blue then, I know it," Akane said.

"I guess these 30 minutes were all our culprit needed," Maria grumbled darkly. She jumped up. "Hurry, we have no time to lose if we still want to save Betamon!"

* * *

Betamon whined as 'Muchomon' cornered him in the backyard of the hotel, her eyes gleaming in a sinister yellow.

"L-listen, Camouflagemon," he squeaked. "L-let's talk about this, okay? I mean, many things have happened since that time... can't we drop the matter?"

Camouflagemon grinned. "No, Betamon," he said in Muchomon's voice. "I've searched for you for all those years... I've been waiting for too long for this..."

"Betamon!" a voice shouted. Camouflagemon turned around.

"Ah, it's just the brats," he snickered. "I've watched them search for me in the last few days... very amusing. You're too late, Digidestined... Now I will complete my revenge..."

"Not so fast," Ranma shouted and ran towards the red-feathered impostor.

Camouflagemon sighed. "BlackGatomon, please do something about this distraction..."

And directly in front of Ranma, the black cat Digimon dropped down, smiling evilly. "Hiya!"

Ranma yelped as he realized what was standing in front of him.

"CAAAAAAT!" And with a zoom, he was gone.

Akane sighed. "I'm afraid we have to take care of this without Ranma's help..."

BlackGatomon grinned. "One step closer and your little fish friend will be my next meal!" And she raised her left paw, in which she grasped the struggling form of Fun.

Fin gasped. "Brother!"

Fun sniffled. "BlackGatomon... you broke my heart... we were meant to be..."

"Shut up!" she shouted and shook him around. Grinning, she looked at Camouflagemon. "You can continue, my friend."

"Thank you!" And after saying these words, he changed his appearance.

"Body Exchange... Muchomon to Ninjamon!"

And where Muchomon's beaked visage had been just seconds ago, they could see the masked face of a stout ninja Digimon, carrying sword and throwing stars.

He grinned. "This form is suited best for a swift killing strike... Iga-Style Sword Draw!"

Betamon closed his eyes as he saw the approaching blade.

CLANG!

Betamon blinked as he saw his friend Crabmon who had stopped the sword with his pincers, just inches from Betamon's face.

"You want to kill my friend, you'll have to deal with me," the crab Digimon shouted. "Maria, I'm ready!"

"Okay," she shouted and grasped her Digivice. "Digivolve!"

A shining light surrounded Crabmon's body.

"Crabmon digivolve to... Ebidramon!"

And in Crabmon's place, a much bigger crab Digimon was standing, with long whiskers, a muzzle full of teeth, a shrimp-like tail and massive pincers.

"You're going down," Ebidramon growled as he lunged for Camouflagemon.

Camouflagemon jumped back. "Please... is that all you got?" He changed again.

"Body Exchange... Ninjamon to Mammothmon!"

The enormous, furred elephantine Digimon raised his trunk. "Gimme your best shot... BlackGatomon, take care of those kids!"

The black cat grinned. "With pleasure..." She threw Fun against the wall and charged Maria and her new friends.

Shampoo stopped her with a quick strike of her bonboris. "You have to go through Shampoo first."

Maria grasped her amulet and pulled it out of her shirt. Michiru stared. "Maria, that's..."

Maria smiled. "I told you it's hidden in a good place, right? I suppose you should transform as well..."

The others shook off their surprise and grasped their transformative items.

"Neptune Planet Power..." "Leo Zodiac Power..." "Pisces Zodiac Power..." "Cancer Zodiac Power..."

"MAKE UP!"

Michiru looked at Maria's purple skirt and nodded. "Looks nice on you!"

Maria grinned. "Thanks."

"You won't beat me that easily," BlackGatomon said and went into a battle stance.

"We'll see about this," Neptune shouted. "Deep Submerge!"

BlackGatomon jumped over the incoming water ball, bounced off the hotel wall and flew towards the Senshi of the sea. "Lightning Paw!"

"Simba Mallet!" Leo shouted and countered the cat Digimon's attack with her hammer. But BlackGatomon bounced off it's surface and jumped high into the air.

"Lightning Kick!" And this time, her feet connected with Leo's head and knocked her back.

Meanwhile, Ebidramon had grasped Camouflagemon's mammoth tusks with his mighty pincers and tried to throw him to the ground.

"Give up," Camouflagemon roared. "I have the power of an Ultimate... You're just a lousy Champion!"

"We'll see about that," Ebidramon replied, let go of one tusk and smacked his enemy on the side of his head. Taken by surprise, Camouflagemon stumbled back.

"Twin Scissors!" Ebidramon shouted and clamped down on Camouflagemon's trunk with his pincers.

Screaming in pain, Camouflagemon shook him off. "You... do I have to go up another step? Well, if you insist..."

"Spinning Fans!" Shampoo said, throwing her attack at BlackGatomon. The feline jumped up and took a hold of the hotel's gutter.

"Aw, come on," she mocked them. "Are you even aiming at me?"

Cancer grinned. "No," she said. "I'm not... Corrosive Splash!"

And when she raised her hand, a crab pincer made of a shining metal appeared around it, like a glove. It opened and shot a splash of green acid at the gutter from which BlackGatomon was hanging. With a hissing sound, the contraption fell apart, and the cat fell down to the ground with a feline screech.

Cancer giggled. "What do you say to that... Cat's don't land on their feet all the time after all."

BlackGatomon growled. "I underestimated you... I think I withdraw for now... Bye, losers!"

"Stop right there!" Leo shouted and raised her mallet.

BlackGatomon smirked. "Cat's Eye Hypnotism!" And after her eyes flashed, Akane realized she couldn't move anymore. Her mallet slipped out of her hands...

BONK!

"OW!" Akane shouted as her weapon fell on her own head. BlackGatomon giggled and skipped away.

"Let her go," Michiru said. "I think your partner needs our help!" She gestured to the fighting pair of Camouflagemon and Ebidramon.

"Shampoo look for Betamon," Pisces said.

Meanwhile, Camouflagemon was once again changing his shape...

"Body Change... Mammothmon to Reapermon!"

Ebidramon gulped as he realized the golden-plated humanoid with the skull face and the sharp scythes on his hands. "Reapermon... a Mega Level Digimon... oh, this means trouble..."

Camouflagemon aka Reapermon cackled nastily and brandished his scythes. "Now I'll tear you all apart!"

* * *

Camouflagemon looked around in confusion. "Where... where am I?" He blinked. "Wait a minute... Why's my voice all squeaky?"

Maria leaned forward and looked into the small fish tank in which the evil Digimon was imprisoned (without any water, of course).

"Well," she grinned. "It's pretty easy... Because all Botamons have squeaky voices!"

"A BOTAMON?" the small, black Baby Digimon screeched and jumped up and down inside his glass prison - really a cute sight. "Why am I a Botamon? Just you wait..." He closed his eyes and concentrated. Then he opened them up again. "What happened? Why can't I transform anymore?"

"Well, you certainly didn't meet a Senshi with the powers of Pisces before," Michiru chuckled and gestured towards Shampoo. "She has the ability to control the transformations of anyone that has more than one single form. So she touched you and forced you to become a cute little Botamon... Oh, and she also locked you inside that state."

"Just like that? I was a Mega Digimon! How could she just force me to de-digivolve?"

"Wasn't that easy," Shampoo shrugged. "Had to fight you first... But after Ranma came back, wasn't that hard. Shampoo made Betamon turn into long Seadramon-Snake-Thing and all together fought you."

"I know all that, but... but... but you still shouldn't have been able to beat me."

"Well, it was pretty hard," Ranma admitted. "But when you used that giant fire tornado, you practically handed victory over to me on a silver platter... It was no big deal to use your tornado to counter with the Shiryu Hoten Ha... and that knocked you out."

Camouflagemon angrily glared at Ranma. "You tricked me!" he whined. It sounded simply adorable.

It knocked and Honeybeemon came in into the office.

"Just on time," Crabmon grinned. "Here, deliver this aquarium to someone who needs a pet... I believe Camouflagemon will be the perfect playmate of another Baby Digimon."

"And how do I turn back into a stronger form?" Camouflagemon asked as his aquarium was being picked up by the bee Digimon.

"The same way every other Digimon has to do it," Betamon said. "By digivolving! So long..." He waved.

Camouflagemon growled angrily as Honeybeemon carried him out of the room. "I'll get you some day, Betamon! You hear that? I'll be back! And I'll have my revenge! Just you waaaaiiiiit..."

When he was gone, Betamon let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that was something else... Thanks for the help, you guys!"

"Yes, thank you so much," Muchomon nodded. "And I'm sorry if I was somewhat rude earlier..."

"Don't worry about it," Michiru smiled. "As long as we could be of some help..."

"Oh, I almost forgot..." Maria said and pulled out her amulet. "Well, I promised you I would tell you where it was hidden... But you know, you can only have it if you also take the Senshi that comes with it."

Ranma grinned. "I think we can deal with that. As long as Crabmon doesn't digivolve into a cat Digimon..."

"And it would really be okay for you to come with us to Japan?" Akane asked.

"Well, as I told you: I don't really have too much friends around here... and my parents are always busy. So I think going to Japan for a superhero job would be a nice change, yeah..." She grinned. "Besides... when we go through the digital world, we can reach Japan much faster and cheaper than by going by plane."

"Good thing," Akane chuckled. "So I won't have to sit next to Shampoo during the flight again..."

Shampoo frowned. "Violent girl make it sound like it would be bad thing sitting next to Shampoo..."

"Well, you always start to argue about how Ranma is your Airen..."

"Is so! Ranma is Shampoo's Airen! And violent girl can do nothing about it."

"Get real! Of course he's not!"

"Is too!"

"He's not!"

"Is too!"

"He's not!"

"Is too!"

Michiru groaned. "Well, here we go again..."


	12. The Sagittarius Amulet

Author's Note:

From this point up, my fellow author Kwakerjak has written all the episodes, meaning, the second half of this episode and all that will follow. However, that shouldn't stop you from reading the story. While his style might differ a bit from mine, he still managed to continue my own story similarly to how I would have done it.

* * *

Setsuna was pacing up and down the living room of the Outer Senshi's home. Nabiki, Sting, Ukyo, Ami, Minako, Artemis and Makoto were all sitting somewhere in the room and were hoping the guardian of time would finally calm down.

Well, at least most of them were doing so... Minako was busy reading some book that was lying in her lap. But as everyone else was paying attention to Setsuna, they really didn't notice.

"Dangit, damn damn, double-dang," Setsuna muttered. "We're so close in finding all of the remaining amulets, but I'm still not able to track down the remaining two of them... Great watcher of time I am..."

"Now sit down for a minute," Makoto tried to calm her down. "You're making us all nervous with your pacing... If you would just tell us what you found out, we could all think about it, and together, we'll find a solution."

"Right," Ukyo nodded. "We have our two smart girls here... Ami and Nabiki clearly will think of a way how to find them."

Ami blushed. Nabiki grinned. "Why, I'm flattered... but don't expect too much from me. I'll just have to see what I can do..."

"Give her some money and she will have found something by tomorrow," Sting muttered. Nabiki threw him an angry glare.

Setsuna sighed and sat down in a chair. "All right... Well, finding the Aries Amulet will be the most difficult task, it got lost somewhere in Greece when a wanderer whose name I don't know carried it with him... The Sagittarius Amulet... Well, that's a little easier, but..."

"Just tell us," Makoto impatiently said.

"Well, the last time I saw it in the time stream was in the feudal era of Japan... It was in the possession of a clan of demon hunters..."

"There was something like this?" Ami wondered. "I never found anything about something like that in the history books."

Setsuna smirked. "Believe me, in those times, there have been more demons plaguing Japan than I could count... I know it, I had to watch it while guarding the time gates.

Well... according to what I saw, this clan was totally wiped out by a demon attack on their village... And I don't even know what kind of demons did it. My only lead is that there might have been one or two survivors, as two corpses had never been found together with the others."

"Maybe that's the lead we should follow," Ukyo said. "Do you know the names of the two missing persons?"

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, I do. They had been siblings... it was a boy called Kohaku and his older sister, Sango."

"Huh?" Minako suddenly said and looked up from her book. "Did you say Sango?"

"How nice of you to join this conversation," Artemis grumpily said. "Since we arrived here you did nothing but read in this book. Since when did you become so interested in books anyway, Minako?"

Minako smiled. "Oh, that's just something I found in the room of my cousin when I visited her. It's some very old diary, and very interesting!"

"A diary?" Ami asked. "It looks very old... Who wrote it?"

"I think it once belonged to a girl living in the feudal era. My cousin's family has many old things from that time lying around in their house."

"Can we get back to our problem?" Setsuna asked. "Just why did you get so amazed when you heard the name Sango?"

"Simple!" Minako smiled. "The name of girl who wrote this book was Sango."

The others just stared at her. Minako blinked. "What?"

"Minako... if the Sango from Setsuna's story is the same girl that wrote this diary, we might have a chance to find the Sagittarius Amulet," Ami said. "Do you know if she wrote something about this?"

Minako scratched her chin. "Hmmm... Well, there was something like that in one of the later chapters... I'm reading the book for the third time, you know? Lemme see..." She browsed through the book. "There, this is the part. Should I read?"

"YES!"

"All right, all right... Okay... cough, cough"

"'Today, we arrived in yet another village. I didn't bother to ask for the name, as we were only spending one night in here... We were all pretty exhausted after the long journey and decided to ask the villagers for a place to sleep.

That's when I noticed how some men were approaching Kagome...'"

* * *

The three men were big, burly and unshaven. Their leader had numerous scars on his face and stunk like he had slept in a pig's sty.

While they were approaching Kagome from behind, they were leering at her greedily.

When they came up to her, the leader spoke up: "Hey, little girl... Why not show me what you've hidden underneath those freaky clothes?"

Kagome turned around and fumed. Did those guys just call her school uniform... freaky? "What did you just say?"

"Aw, c'mon," another one said and tried to grab her arm, but she dodged. "We only wanna have some fun with ya... You don't mind, do ya?"

"Yes, I do mind! Now leave me alone!"

Their leader grinned. "Not a chance, little girl... No wench ever says 'no' to me and my boys..."

The three ruffians were just getting ready to pounce on her, when suddenly, two of them got knocked out by something big and hard.

"What the...?" their leader was able to say, then he was being hit by the large bone boomerang as well.

After the last ruffian fell to the ground, Kagome smiled as her friend put away her weapon. "Thank you, Sango!"

Sango smiled back. "Anytime, Kagome! So, found a place where we could stay?"

The reincarnated Miko shook her head. "No, but Inuyasha and Shippo are still searching."

"Huh? Isn't Miroku helping them?"

Kagome grumbled. "Of course not! He preferred to search for some girls he could flirt with instead..."

The female demon-slayer groaned. "Typically... Well, we should... oops!" A small pouch fell down from her outfit and to the ground. Something small and shiny came rolling out if it.

Kagome picked it up. "What's that?"

Sango sighed. "It's... something very personal..."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kagome was taken aback. "Here, take it back..."

Sango smiled. "It's okay... You're my best friend, Kagome, you can take a look. It's something that was handed over to my clan some centuries ago. My grandmother gave it to me when I was younger... She told me to make sure it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands."

"So, it's something magical?" Kagome asked while holding the amulet up against the light.

"I'm not too sure..." Sango replied. "My family never found out what its abilities could be. But I swore to my grandmother I would protect it from any demon."

Kagome looked at the golden amulet, on which the picture of a bow and an arrow could be seen.

"It's pretty..."

"SANGO! Watch out!" Kagome yelled.

Without the female demon-hunter noticing it, one of the burly ruffians had already recovered from her blow with the giant boomerang. "Now you'll pay, you bitch!" he snarled while pulling out a nasty-looking knife.

Sango quickly turned around to defend herself from the back-stabbing attack, but before the thug could reach her, the leg of a strange person kicked him into his ribs, sending him flying against one of the village's huts and knocking him out for good.

Sango and Kagome looked at the man who had kicked the ruffian in amazement. He was young and handsome, wearing the robes of a nobleman. He was smiling at them and made a short bow. "I hope this brute didn't bother you, my ladies," he said in a courteous tone of voice. "I assume he didn't harm you, did he?"

"Um, no he didn't," Kagome replied bashfully. "Th-thank you for the help."

"Um, I think I could have handled him, but thanks anyway," Sango added.

The man nodded and took a step towards Sango. "I've seen you use your weapon like a true master. Truly, a beautiful lady like yourself is doubtlessly of nobility, correct?"

Sango blushed as the handsome stranger addressed her so directly, using such compliments. "N-no, I'm just a demon hunter... I was being trained in battle since I was a child."

The man nodded with a smile. "Ah, I see... I should have realized it, but your graceful movements while swinging your weapon enthralled me that much that I couldn't think clearly... my apologies!"

Sango blushed even more. She certainly wasn't used to such words from a man... and while this guy was a complete stranger, he certainly was handsome... and courteous.

The man took another bow. "Farewell, my ladies. I hope we meet again."

After he left, Kagome let out a dreamy sigh. "Wow! That was one hunk of a guy, don't you agree, Sango?" When she took a look at her friend, she saw the demon-hunters blushed face and her own dreamy expression. "Um, Sango? Are you all right?"

"Kagome! Sango!"

That voice pulled Sango out of her dazed mind. When turning their heads, the two girls saw the small kitsune Shippo running towards them on his paw-like feet, his bushy tail waving around in excitement.

"I found a place where we could spend the night," he told his friends. "Inuyasha and I met a nice man with a big family. He has that many children that he owns several huts for his family. But as his adult children are visiting another village right now, two of their huts are empty. After I asked him nicely, he invited us to spend the night in those two huts."

"Good job, Shippo," Kagome smiled. "Then Sango and I will sleep in one of the huts while you, Inuyasha and Miroku can share the other one."

* * *

The head of the big family welcomed the travelers and offered them some food.

"I still don't know why we can't just spend the night in the forest," Inuyasha grumpily said while they were sitting around a fire and having dinner.

"There are some people that prefer sleeping with a roof over their head," Kagome reminded the half-yokai. "Besides, we hadn't have a nice meal like this for days. So be thankful that the nice man invited us to stay."

"Whatever..." Inuyasha grumbled. "I just hope you all get up early tomorrow so we can continue the search for the shards..."

Kagome frowned, but didn't say anything else.

* * *

Later that evening, Miroku and Shippo were getting ready for bed, when Inuyasha came into the hut, sporting a big bump on his head.

Miroku chuckled. "Walked in on the girls at the wrong time?" he asked. He already knew the symptoms.

"She didn't have to hit me THAT hard," the dog-yokai grumbled as he sat down on the ground. "It's not that I WANTED to see anything..."

Miroku patted his friend on the back. "My dear Inuyasha... one of these days, I have to teach you how to sneak on the girls properly."

"I toldya, I didn't mean to!"

"Suuure you didn't..."

"Um, what are you talking about?" Shippo asked curiously. "What happened to Inuyasha? And why are we sleeping in another hut as Kagome and Sango anyway?"

With a sigh, Miroku turned to his young friend. "Shippo, we'll tell you when you're bigger, okay?"

Shippo exchanged a puzzled look with Kirara, who was lying next to him.

Suddenly, a high-pitched yell came from the girl's hut, followed by a crash.

"What was that?" Miroku shouted and jumped to his feet, grabbing his staff.

"The girls!" Inuyasha shouted and jumped out of the door.

By the time they reached the hut of the girls, they were already gone. The inside of the hut was ravaged, and there was a big hole in one of the walls.

"What happened?" Shippo asked. "Where are Sango and Kagome?"

Miroku picked up Kagome's bow and quiver, as well as Sango's boomerang and bag. "Their weapons and other things are still here... You think someone kidnapped them?"

"Whoever it was, I can still smell them," Inuyasha growled. "Lemme see..." He closed his eyes and took another sniff. He snarled. "Tengus!"

"Those bird-yokai?" Miroku gasped.

"No doubt about it," Inuyasha nodded. "I'd recognize that smell anywhere. I heard some of their clans would live in the forests on the mountain nearby..."

"But why did the Tengus kidnap them?" Shippo wondered.

"Tengus have always been capricious creatures," Miroku sighed. "Although I never met one in person, I've heard much about them in other villages... While some of them might be benevolent, there are also Tengus who are downright malicious."

"If that's true, we have to hurry and find them," Inuyasha growled.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Shippo shouted. "Can't you follow their scent?"

"Gimme a break here," the white-haired half-yokai shouted back. "You know how hard it is to track down something with wings?"

He took another sniff. "But I think they went... that way!" And he began running out of the forest, barely giving Miroku, Shippo and Kirara any time to follow him.

* * *

Kagome struggled against the bonds that kept her hands behind her back. "Hey, what's the big idea? Let us go right now!"

"You be quiet and wait," the grim Tengu warrior who was standing behind her grumbled. "Our chief is going to address you!"

Next to her, Sango has already tried wrestling out of her bonds, but another Tengu immediately responded with pressing the tip of his spear into her back.

Their situation was tricky at the best... Last night, the bird yokai broke into their hut, surprising them so much that the two girls didn't even have time to get their weapons. After struggling for a while, they were being grabbed and thrown over the shoulders of two big Tengus. The winged warriors instantly took off into the sky and carried them to the forest on the big mountain.

Now they were kneeling in the dirt in front of their kidnappers, waiting for an unknown fate...

Sango used the time to get a good look at their kidnappers. At least twenty Tengus were assembled in the big forest clearing. They were big and strong, and their faces resembled the sharp visages of birds of prey. Big, feathered wings were growing from their backs, and their feet and hands ended in sharp talons. But the Tengus apparently preferred armed combat to the usage of their natural weapons, as most of them were being armed with either spears or bows.

Sango could also see several female Tengus and some children who watched the scene from afar, but they were being kept out of the 'meeting' by some male warriors.

Suddenly, the wings of their guards snapped wide open, as another, tall Tengu entered the clearing.

"All hail to our great leader, the mighty Chief Katakaze!"

The chief of the Tengu seemed to be more human as his warriors, for the only bird-like thing of his body were the feathered wings growing from his back.

But that didn't bother Sango much when she recognized the face of the Tengu chief.

It was the young nobleman who helped them out the previous evening in the village.

"Y-you!" she stuttered.

Katakaze smiled. "So, we meet again, beauteous maiden. I bet you didn't expect me to be a Tengu, huh? Well, I have to say: Most humans wouldn't trust a yokai as me, some even hate us. So I'm forced to take on human disguise when I'm visiting the villages of the humans...

But enough about me: I'd be most pleased if you'd tell me your name, and the one of your companion!"

"I'm Sango! This is Kagome!" Sango's face grew dark. "Why did your warriors kidnap us, Katakaze? When we first met you, I thought you were a noble man without any traces of malice... So what do you want?"

"You're right," the Tengu chief continued. "I could have told you... But then again, there was always the slight chance you could have rejected the offer... And we can't let that happen, can we?"

"What offer?" Kagome asked. "What are you talking about?"

Katakaze smiled. "When I first saw you, fair Sango, I was enchanted by your beauty and your grace... I swore to myself: That woman, and no other, shall be my bride!"

Sango let out a short yelp of surprise. "B-bride? B-but you're a yokai..."

"Looks don't mean anything," Katakaze smiled. "But if you prefer, I can change my appearance to your liking..." He spread out his arms, and his wings vanished. "Better?"

"That doesn't change anything," Sango shouted. "Besides, your men brought us here by force... Is that supposed to make me feel any affection for you? I'm sorry, but I believe you aren't my type of man after all... Now let us go!"

Katakaze shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, my bride... See, the word of a Tengu chief is the law within his woods... And when I say you're my bride, so be it!"

"You won't get away with this," Kagome shouted. "Our friends will find us, sooner or later! And when Inuyasha lays his hands on you, you'll be sorry!"

"Ah, that rude half-breed, correct?" Katakaze grimaced. "I already watched him that evening. How could you stand his manners? Traveling with such a rude lout? I'd rather die!" He smirked. "And besides, he won't find you... my scouts were being ordered to mislead him. Right now, they are leading him in the opposite direction from here. He won't be a bother."

"And what do you plan to do with Kagome?" Sango snarled while once again struggling against her bonds. "Is she going to be your second wife?"

"Oh no! While she certainly is a beauty herself, her looks could never compete with your loveliness... So I decided to leave her to my strongest warriors... they're allowed to share her."

Kagome gasped. Was he serious?

Meanwhile, Sango had given up breaking out of her bonds. She glared up at her self-declared groom. "I know Tengus have a code of honor themselves. So isn't there a way for me to get out of this?"

Katakaze chuckled, but thought about it. "Well..." he finally said. "There IS one way..."

"Out with it!" Sango snapped.

The chief smirked. "While the Tengus are the best archers of the yokai, the warriors of my clan are the best archers of all Tengu. So... If you would be able to beat me in an archery contest, I would allow you and your friend to leave... But, of course, that will never happen. After all, I am the best archer of our clan, therefore the best in the world."

Sango sighed. While she was an expert with all kinds of weapons, she had never been good with a bow...

But then, Kagome suddenly smirked. "Oh, are you? Well, I beg to differ: Sango is a master of archery. In her village, she has killed more yokai than any other hunter... and she shot every single one of them down! They never got the chance of even touching her!"

Sango looked at her friend in irritation. What was Kagome up to?

"Oh, really?" Katakaze didn't sound too impressed. "Well, for a human, she might be a good archer... But she would never be able to beat me, that's for sure!"

"You'd have no chance, buddy!" Kagome grinned. "Look at the pendant in her pocket... that is proof for my words!"

Katakaze seemed intrigued. He reached for Sango's pocket and pulled out the golden pendant. "I see the picture of a bow," he nodded. "I see. So only the best archers of your clan receive this? Very well, if that's true..." He put the pendant back into Sango's pocket. "This will certainly be interesting. Beautiful Sango, I challenge you to an archery contest. If you win, you're free to go! But if you lose... You will be mine forever!"

"She accepts," Kagome said. "But give us three days to prepare for the contest."

"Agreed," Katakaze nodded. He gestured to the guards. "Release them! But be warned, human girls: Any plans of escaping won't do you any good. The borders of the forest are being guarded by my warriors, and they won't let anyone slip through. You're allowed to move freely within my woods, but never leave the mountain, or I'll be the winner of the contest by default."

"Don't worry, we're not planning to go anywhere."

* * *

Some time later, Kagome and Sango were alone. After leaving the gathering place of the Tengu clan, they searched for a good spot in the woods to spend the night by themselves.

"Kagome, why did you do this? You know I'm not a good archer."

The reincarnated Miko smirked. "But I am! And within these three days, I'm planning to teach you everything I know about archery! Sure, I'm no expert... But I'm pretty sure I know enough to make you a passable archer."

"Well, then let's hope it will be sufficient to beat Katakaze," Sango sighed. Then she smirked. "All right, 'sensei'... I'm ready!"

Kagome smiled. "That's the spirit!"

* * *

Inuyasha lowered the Tetsuaiga and glared at the twitching forms of the Tengu scouts, while their feathers slowly floated downwards all around them.

"Thought you could mess around with us by making false leads?" the half-hanyou growled. "Well, guess again!"

"Now say us where Kagome and Sango are," Miroku demanded.

"They're back on our home mountain, please don't hit us anymore..." one of the younger scouts whined. His elder superior glared at him. "You spineless wimp!"

"Rather spineless than headless, dont'cha agree?" Inuyasha grinned and put the blade of his sword at the Tengu's neck. The elder Tengu sweated and stayed silent.

"We have to hurry," Shippo shouted from Kirara's back. "We have wasted a half day by following the false leads of those idiots. Come on, get going!"

Inuyasha nodded and turned around.

But when he walked past Shippo, he gave him a bop on the head.

"Ouch! Hey, what was that for?" the tiny kitsune whined as he rubbed the massive bump on his head.

"Never command me around, ya hear me?" the half-hanyou grumbled.

* * *

After running through the wilderness for countless hours, Inuyasha stopped and looked around in frustration. "Damn! Those Tengu scouts couldn't have lead us that far away from the mountain, could they?"

Miroku rubbed his chin. "I have to admit, I don't know where we have to go to reach the village OR the mountain..." he mumbled.

Shippo sighed. "Those scouts were miserable warriors, but man, they really managed to make us get lost..."

"I have no time for this," Inuyasha snarled. "I have to go back to that mountain!"

Miroku looked into his eyes. "Huh? So you DO like Kagome, right?"

"Don't be stupid! But perhaps that Tengu chief has a shard of the Shikon no Tama..."

"Oh, of course..."

After sniffing the ground several times, Inuyasha groaned in frustration. "It's no use... I lost our track."

"Why don't you ask a local resident which way we have to go?" Shippo wanted to know.

"Stupid! You see any locals around here?"

"Hey, I hear something rustling within those bushes," Miroku suddenly said.

"HAH! Inuyasha shouted. "I'll bet it's more of those Tengu warriors. SANKON TESSOU!" And his claws of energy flew through the air and ripped the bushes apart.

"WHAAAAAH!" a male voice yelled. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm just a harmless half-oni!" And a black-haired, bandana-clad boy came out of the bushes, sporting reddish skin and elongated fangs.

"A half-oni?" Miroku asked. "Don't see many of those... Most onis prefer not to cross-breed with humans."

"If you're so harmless, why did you sneak around in those bushes?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"Hey, I was only searching for something," the half-oni defended himself. "I didn't even see you guys until you nearly filleted me."

"Say, maybe you could help us... We're searching for the mountain of the Tengus... do you know it?"

"Oh, of course, I was there several times."

"Great," Miroku said. "Where is it?"

The half-oni gestured westwards. "Just go straight ahead and you'll reach it in a few hours... you can't really miss it."

"A few hours..." Inuyasha smirked. "Heh, I bet I'll make it in one hour." And he sprinted ahead.

Miroku and Shippo jumped on Kirara's back. "Hey, wait for us!"

After thanking the half-oni, they followed their hotheaded friend.

Yukio Hibiki looked after the three strangers. "Well, at least I'm pretty sure that's the direction..."

He shrugged and tightened his spotted bandana, before he picked up his battle umbrella and continued on his way.

* * *

Since Katakaze had given them his ultimatum, Kagome and Sango had been busy training. At first, Kagome taught her student what kind of wood was mostly used to make a bow or arrows, how the weather was influencing an arrow's path of flight, and other theoretical stuff.

Shortly after, their training begun...

With shaking legs, Kagome appeared out of the bush. "Lesson Number One: Shoot at the target, not the instructor!"

Sango sweat-dropped. "Oops... sorry, Kagome..."

The first few tries were less then impressive, as Sango didn't even manage to hit the target. But she tried very hard, and actually turned out to be an adaptive student. And only one and a half days later, she managed to shoot the cork off a bottle.

Kagome grinned with pride. She had expected it, but Kagome turned out to be a skilled archer, after all. Well, no wonder... Back in her village, she was skilled in various weapon skills, so learning how to shoot wasn't that big of a problem.

She just wondered how long it took Inuyasha and the others to arrive at the mountain... She had expected to at least hear something from them.

Well, no matter... Sango was definitely ready for the challenge. The only problem was that they didn't know just how good Katakaze was.

But she just couldn't bring herself to worry when she saw Sango shooting down an apple that was hanging from a tree... A tree that was so far away that she had actually trouble seeing the branch from which the apple was hanging.

"I can't wait to show that stuck-up jerk who's boss," the female demon hunter grinned and twirled around an arrow.

* * *

The Tengus sitting on the trees near the shooting range were cheering with enthusiasm, as their chief drew an arrow and aimed for the target. He closed his left eye, aimed carefully... and let his arrow fly.

It whooshed through the air and hit the target standing near the forest's edge... bull's eye!

Katakaze smirked and lowered his bow. Then he turned around to face the two human girls. "Try to shoot better, oh beauteous Sango!"

"Trust me, I will," Sango angrily muttered and went into position.

When Sango drew her arrow, Kagome clenched her teeth nervously and kept her fingers crossed. The final shot of the contest... now Sango just had to win!

And then, unnoticed by every person present, the golden pendant hanging around Sango's neck briefly lit up, shining in a golden light...

Several seconds later, the audience could only gape... Sango's arrow also had hit the middle of the target... and it had split the chief's arrow right in the middle.

Katakaze stuttered: "W-what? How did you...?"

Sango grinned. "It's not over yet, sugar... watch closely!"

And in quick succession, she drew three additional arrows and shot them towards the target.

Everyone went silent when they were witnessing the results of Sango's shots...

Every single arrow had hit the previous one, so that they were sticking in the middle of the target, all split in two halves, except for the last one.

For a short while, everyone could only stare. Even Kagome was speechless. Had she been that good of an instructor?

Suddenly, every single Tengu began shouting Sango's name. The cheers seemed to get even louder when several strong warriors approached the female archer and lifted her up into the air.

"Sango! Sango! Sango!"

Katakaze was standing at the edge of the shooting range, still looking at the nested arrows in befuddlement.

Then he shook his head. "Enough!" he commanded, and quickly his men put Sango back to the ground and became silent.

Katakaze looked grimly in Sango's face. Sango returned the gaze sternly. Kagome was worried. What if the Tengu chief didn't keep his promise?

Then Katakaze smiled. "Fair Sango, I must say: I am impressed! I always thought I would be the most excellent archer of them all, but here you are and show me that there is always someone who is better... I have to admit: You are the winner of this contest! And while I still think you would have been a beautiful bride, I'm keeping my promise: You and your friend are free to go!"

Kagome ran over to her friend and the two girls hugged each other... they did it! Now, everything was fine.

"You did it, Sango! That was great, really!"

"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help," the demon hunter grinned. "Thanks, you've been a great teacher."

She then took off her pendant. "Here, I want you to have this..."

Kagome gasped. "But Sango... that's your family heirloom! I can't accept that!"

Sango smiled at her friend. "Don't worry... I'm the last member of my tribe... and I decided to give this to a very special friend..."

Kagome was speechless for a moment. Then she smiled and nodded, taking the Sagittarius Amulet out of Sango's hands.

For a small moment, the Zodiac sign of Sagittarius lit up on Kagome's forehead...

And thus, the amulet which gave its wearer the ability of a masterful archer, was handed over to its rightful bearer...

* * *

Setsuna stared at Minako with wide eyes as the blonde girl closed the diary.

"Minako, your cousin's name wouldn't be Kagome by any chance, would it?"

"Yup," Minako nodded. "Kagome Higurashi. She lives with her family at the Higurashi shrine." Suddenly, she remembered something. "Hey... you think she might actually be the Kagome from the diary's story?"

"Now she notices..." Makoto groaned. "Didn't it occur to you that Sango had made more than one hint that the Kagome she mentioned was a visitor from another time?"

"I guess that makes sense," the bow-wearing girl nodded with a serious look on her face, "because Kagome really doesn't look like she's as old as this book, you know."

Artemis sweat-dropped. "Minako... you're a dimwit, you know that?"

Minako loomed over her white-furred advisor with an expression of doom (she had practiced very hard to master that). "You want dinner tonight or not?"

"Eep!" Artemis yelped. "I'll be good..."

Nabiki then realized something: "But if Minako's cousin is really the same Kagome Sango knew, then the Sagittarius Amulet..."

"Must be in her possession," Setsuna nodded. "There's no time to lose... Minako, what's the fastest way to that shrine?"

* * *

With a sigh, Kagome pulled her backpack out of the Bone Eater's well. This trip had been a rather tiring one. True, they didn't find any shards of the Shikon no Tama this time, but at least they managed to get away from the Tengu mountain.

Unfortunately, it took them a while to find Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo...

Next to her, a white-haired dog-boy jumped out of the well, causing her to react with a very noticeable sigh. "Do you have to come along _every_ time I go home?"

"Just want to make sure you don't forget about your mission," the hanyou grumbled. "May I remind you that you didn't manage to find one single jewel shard during the past few days?"

"That's not my fault, you know? Sango and I spent most of the time searching for you."

"Bah! It's the fault of that stupid half-oni... Sending us into the wrong direction... I swear, if I see him ever again, he'll be sorry."

"You think you can remember his face?" Kagome asked doubtfully.

"Hey, with those fangs, the spotted bandana and that umbrella, recognizing him won't be such a big problem... And when I find him, I'll make him pay! But why am I telling you that? It's not like you could be anything but a nuisance..."

Kagome closed her eyes and sighed again.

"SIT, BOY!"

WHAM!

As the half-yokai lay face-first on the ground, still twitching from the impact, Kagome walked out of the small building. "Try not to insult me anymore, Inuyasha!"

"Hey, I'm home!" Kagome called when entering the house.

Her mother smiled. "Welcome back, dear. This is actually good timing; your cousin just called."

"Minako?" Kagome asked. "What did she want?"

"Well, she wasn't too specific at the phone, but I believe that she needs something from you. It sounded like it was pretty important."

Kagome sighed. "Just great! Couldn't she just have waited until I call her back? Did she say anything else?"

"Yes, she asked me to tell you to call her back right away when you returned."

"Fine, fine, but let me put away my things first, okay?"

"Kagome! I didn't expect you to call back so quickly," Minako chirped when she received her cousin's return call.

"Uh, yeah. I, uh, I just got back from… from where I was." Kagome hoped that that would be enough to satiate her cousin's curiosity. She preferred to keep her time-traveling activities a secret from those who didn't need to know about it. "What is it you wanted?"

"Uh, well…" Minako paused as she tried to think of the best way to approach the subject. "Um, you said you just got back from somewhere, right?"

"Yeah…."

"Well, you see, the last time I was at your place, I, um, I found this book, and it's really old and interesting and stuff, so I sort of 'borrowed' it — um, sorry about that — and anyway, uh, I've been reading it a lot, and, well, I was thinking that maybe you could help me answer a few questions about some of the things in there."

"Um, well, I suppose I can try, but don't you think questions like that are better suited for Grandfather?"

"But Grandfather isn't a time traveler," Minako replied, causing her cousin's eyes to go wide.

"What did you say?" But there was no response from Minako's end of the line other than some irritated groans and sternly intoned rebukes. Apparently,

It was a few seconds before Kagome heard a voice addressing her, and when it did come, Minako was no longer the one speaking. "Hello? Kagome? Are you still there?"

"Yes… who are you?"

"I'm Nabiki Tendo, a friend of your cousin's. Look, this is going to sound really weird, but have you come into possession of an amulet recently? Perhaps on one of your recent journeys?"

"What?!"

"It's a few centimeters in diameter, and it should have a stylized arrow embossed on it."

Kagome was unable to stop from gasping audibly. "How did you know about—" She abruptly cut herself off, clearly uneasy about reveling too much information.

Nabiki, however, took this in stride. "I'll take that as evidence that we're on to something. Look, would you be able to set aside some time to answer a few questions?"

Kagome was somewhat flustered by this girl's forwardness. "But… but I… I don't know…."

"It won't take long. In fact, we can be there this evening."

"'We'?"

"Yes. Your cousin, me, and a few of her friends. I promise, it won't be long."

"Um… sure… I guess…."

"Great. We'll be there in about an hour."

"Um, alright…"

"Good — I'll see you then."

"Okay…." Kagome responded as she hung up the phone. "What the heck just happened?"

* * *

Kagome was, understandably, a bit paranoid when she hung up the phone; she wasn't quite certain how Minako had managed to discover that she traveled through time. Sure, she had a few hints, such as the book that her blonde cousin had mentioned, but still, it was unnerving to think that someone from this time outside of her immediate family had managed to piece together the truth. Even more unnerving was that Nabiki girl who'd she'd spoken to after Minako got off the phone. She seemed like a smooth operator type to Kagome — though admittedly she didn't really have much more than a gut reaction on which to base this conclusion.

Still, as she stood near the entrance to the Bone Eater's Well, she had to wonder if her hanyou companion wasn't being a little extreme in _his_ reaction. "I still don't see why I have wait for Minako and her friends out here, instead of in the house. And are you certain it's necessary to hide in the rafters like that, Inuyasha?" Kagome strongly suspected that the dog-boy's insistence on heightened security was the result of his generally grumpy attitude, than from any legitimate suspicion of danger.

"Of course — this way, if they attack, I'll have the element of surprise. And the reason we're out here is so you can retreat down the Well when everything goes to hell."

"You mean _if_ everything goes to hell."

"If I'd meant that, I'd have said it."

"I doubt they're going to attack me," Kagome said. "At least, not if Minako wants to show up at our next family reunion."

"Humph," groused the irritable dog-boy. "They know way too much about your trips through time than they should. In my book, that makes them potential threats."

"Come on, Inuyasha, Minako's my cousin! I mean, if you can't trust your family, then who can you trust?" This argument turned out to be quite ineffective, as it only brought Kagome a glare from the hanyou — and then she remembered that Sesshomaru was the only family Inuyasha had left. "Okay, that wasn't a very good example, but still, Minako's a nice girl."

"If she's so nice, why is she blabbing your secrets to strangers?"

"They're not strangers, they're her friends," she retorted.

"How do you know that?"

"She… she told me… I think…."

"You _think_? You can think all you want, but I'll take knowing over thinking any day of the week."

"I… I'm pretty sure we can trust her. I mean, she's never done anything that would make me think otherwise."

"Didn't you just tell me that she stole some book?"

"She didn't steal it — she just borrowed it, but forgot to ask permission."

The half-demon responded by silently raising an eyebrow, which in turn caused Kagome to become somewhat defensive: "What? She's a little absentminded at times. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm."

"Fine. But the instant it looks like trouble—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You can swoop in and play the hero again."

"Hey, I ain't trying to be a hero; I just need you to find the rest of those jewel shards."

Kagome rolled her eyes. Inuyasha had retreated to his "I'm only doing this because I have to" mindset yet again, and quite frankly, it was exasperating. Not just because he was more irritable (and irritating) when he got like this, but because over the past few weeks Kagome had had trouble figuring out if this was his genuine opinion about her, or just posturing intended to cover up his insecurities. "I really think you're overreacting," the teenaged girl told her companion. "Besides, I have my bow and arrows with me, don't I? It's not like I'm totally helpless."

"Whatever." Clearly, the hanyou had lost any desire to continue the conversation. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Damn, you're naïve. This is why I have to keep coming back here — you're hopeless without me. It's a wonder you aren't dead already." Inuyasha had intended to say this under his breath, but unfortunately, he wasn't quite successful at keeping this observation from Kagome's ears.

What happened next would come as no surprise to anyone even remotely familiar with the relationship between these two: **"Sit, boy!"** As per the usual, Inuyasha found himself hurtling towards the ground faster than gravity, thanks to the enchanted beads around his neck. "I thought I told you to stop insulting me," Kagome added by way of explanation as she absently fingered the amulet. She wasn't sure why she was wearing it now — surely Minako's friends would want to examine it, and then she'd have to take it right off again. But something just felt _right_ about wearing it, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Kagome sighed and walked towards the entrance of the enclosure, continuing to fiddle with the amulet as she did so, causing it to glint as it reflected the direct sunlight. _He doesn't need to be so paranoid all of the time. Just because I __**might**__ be attacked doesn't mean I __**will**__._

They say that Fate is a cruel mistress; if so, then her whips are surely made from irony.

The six Senshi still in Japan approached the Higurashi shrine, intent on getting information from one of the Shrine's permanent residents, one Kagome Higurashi. Minako was about to knock on the front door of Kagome's home when there came a loud crash from one of the buildings in the shrine itself.

Of course, by now, the Planetary Senshi had the routine down pat; no sooner had the noise reached their ears that Ami immediately brought out the Mercury Computer, typing in commands on the palmtop with incredible speed. "I've got two energy signatures. One's human with an energy signature similar to Minako's, and the other… well I don't think we've come across anything like this before, but I doubt it's friendly."

"Got it," Minako said as quickly slipped into the leadership role she occasionally took in Usagi's absence. She pulled out her henshin rod, and the rest of the Senshi (both Planetary and Zodiac) followed her lead and did the same with their transformation devices. "All right, let's go fish."

This malapropism jarred the others out of their down-pat state rather quickly. Nabiki laughed nervously and spoke up, "Um, Minako, did you mean to say 'go time'?"

Minako, however, wasn't in the mood for delays. "Less talking and more transforming! Kagome could be in trouble!"

"Right!" came the unison reply. Six transformations later, the Warriors of Love and Justice raced towards the rear of the shrine wear the commotion was coming from.

The two magical mascots hurried behind them, albeit at a slower pace. "So, Artie, why exactly did everyone agree that Venus should be the leader?"

"Venus has more experience than any Senshi except Pluto, and Pluto doesn't particularly like leading on the battlefield. Can we finish this conversation later? We've got Senshi to advise."

"Sure thing."

* * *

Inuyasha had finally gotten off the ground and was intent on continuing his shouting match with Kagome when the door to the well suddenly burst open and six women rushed in (followed soon after by a scorpion and a cat). One of them shouted out the phrase "Supreme Thunder" almost immediately, and proceeded to chuck a lighting bolt at Inuyasha's feet, which he only barely managed to dodge.

The hanyou flashed a "told you so" glance to Kagome and pulled the Tetsusaiga from its scabbard — only to groan when it didn't activate. _Damn it, what's wrong with it __**now**__? I guess I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way._ He quickly re-sheathed the rusty blade and held up his hands so that his claws were clearly visible. "Who the hell are you?"

His question was answered by a blonde in a leotard/schoolgirl outfit with an extremely short orange miniskirt. "We are the Warriors of Love and Justice, the Sailor Senshi! And you won't get away with whatever it was you were doing to this girl! Venus Love-Me Ch—"

"No! Wait! Stop! He's not doing anything!"

The Senshi turned and looked at the Kagome with confusion in their eyes. Mercury glanced from her computer's readout to the irate expression on the dog-boy's face before responding. "What do you mean? He's clearly a demon—"

"Well, yes, Inuyasha's a half-demon, but he's my friend — sort of."

"But the way he was ranting and raving…"

"Oh, he's always like that, especially after I give him a **'Sit'** command," Kagome responded, putting extra emphasis on the sentence's penultimate word.

Inuyasha, who had managed to lift himself from a prone position by that point, slammed back into the ground. "**Ow!** What did you do that for?" he growled angrily.

Kagome blushed. "Well, it seemed like the easiest way to explain things…." That, and she was still rather irritated with the half-demon, friendship notwithstanding.

Sailor Libra pulled out her Scales of Light and Shadow to make a quick check of the situation; they were perfectly balanced. "Her story checks out; it looks like demon doesn't have any evil intentions."

Kagome wasn't sure how the Senshi knew this (in fact, she hadn't heard of any of the Senshi using a set of scales), but she had other things on her mind, so she quickly changed the subject. "But why are _you_ here? I mean, obviously, you're the Senshi, and you're here because you thought Inuyasha was doing something bad, but I was under the impression that you guys stayed in Juuban most of the time."

Venus shifted nervously. "Ah, yes, about that… well, you see…"

"They came here to talk to you, obviously," interjected a voice that sounded extremely enthusiastic. "Weren't you paying attention during the phone call?"

This did not clear up Kagome's confusion. "Phone call?"

Sailor Scorpio put one hand to her temples, massaging them in an effort to relieve her rapidly building stress, while the other grabbed her advisor/mascot by the tail and brought him to eye level. "Sting, could you _please_ try not to blab out important information? Just _try_ to do that; that's all I'm asking."

"I wasn't blabbing. She's obviously Sagittarius — her energy signature's a perfect match."

Kagome had long past the point where she could be fazed by something as trivial as a talking scorpion, which is why she remained focused on the issue at hand. "What? What are you talking about? I'm still trying to figure out this phone call business. I mean, I've only had one phone call recently and it was with… my cousin…." The girl's voice trailed off as she started to piece together the puzzle bits surrounding her. "You guys… are you Minako's friends?"

Venus sighed. "Yes, Kagome, we are."

"Hey, I never told you my name—" Kagome cut herself off as the blonde Senshi suddenly reverted to her civilian form. "Minako? _You're_ one of the Senshi?!" The surprise in Kagome's voice was rather obvious.

"Uh huh," Minako nodded. "Sailor Venus, to be precise. And these are my friends: Mercury, Jupiter, Pluto, Scorpio, and Libra." The Senshi changed to their civilian forms and finished introducing themselves.

"Aren't there supposed to be more of you? And I thought you were all named after planets."

"Well, actually, that's part of the reason why we're here… but I still haven't finished introducing everyone: you've already heard Nabiki talking to Sting, and that leaves Artemis — where is he?"

"I'm up here," came a voice from the rafters. Kagome looked up and saw a somewhat nervous-looking white cat.

"He talks?"

"He wouldn't be much of a Cute Talking Mascot™ if he didn't," replied Sting from his perch on Nabiki's shoulder. "We have to be able to talk, or else we can't advise our charges."

"_Cute_ mascots?" Nabiki asked with a eyebrow raised derisively. "How do you qualify as 'cute'?"

"Why, my endearing personality, of course."

Minako, meanwhile, was trying to get _her_ mascot to stop acting like a wuss. "Come on, Artemis. There's no reason to stay up there."

"Hell yes there is!"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I just don't like dogs very much — no offense," the mooncat added.

"None taken," Inuyasha replied, finally getting to his feet. "You may as well come down — if I wanted to do anything to you, I could easily jump up there."

"Anyway," Kagome said, hoping to return to the subject at hand, "what did you want to talk about? And why did that bug refer to me as Sagittarius? Does it have something to do with the amulet you want to see? Minako? Are you even listening?"

However, it was rather clear that Minako had _been_ listening to her cousin, as she was too distracted by her discovery that her cousin's demon companion was decidedly good looking, once you got past his claws and unusually shaped ears, which, now that she thought about it, were actually pretty cute as well. "Um, yeah. The amulet — I think it means you're a Senshi," she said with a wave of her hand, leaving her cousin in shocked silence as she started a new conversation with the half-yokai. "Hey, Mr. um, Inuyasha, was it? Are those…."

The hanyou sighed. "Yes, they're my ears; yes, they're real; and **no**, you can't touch them."

As Minako got a disappointed look on her face, Makoto (who had also taken notice of Inuyasha's bishonen status) asked the next obvious question (well, obvious to her, anway): "Are you single?"

"Huh?"

But before this line of conversation could get any further, Kagome interrupted. "What do you mean, I'm a Senshi?!"

"You are?" Minako asked.

"That's what you said."

"I did?"

Setsuna sighed and decided to take control of the conversation. "Yes, Kagome, it is quite likely that you are one of the twelve Zodiac Senshi, most likely Sailor Sagittarius, named after the constellation." Setsuna then went on to give an extremely brief history of the Silver Millennium. This done, she moved on to the specifics of Sagittarius' abilities: "Sailor Sagittarius was noted for her skill at archery; she had a great deal of natural talent which was then enhanced by the amulet you're wearing. And from what we've heard, you are indeed a fine archer."

"How the hell do you know all this stuff?" Inuyasha interrupted.

"The book Minako found was Sango's diary," Ukyo replied. "That's how we knew you had the amulet in your possession — she goes into a lot of detail when she covers the incident with the Tengu."

"I see… and, um… how far along does this diary get?"

"Not much farther," Minako admitted. "There's about fifty or so pages after that, but they're mostly filled with doodles."

"In any case," Setsuna continued, "right now, we are in the process of gathering the Zodiac Amulets and finding their corresponding Senshi, as we are facing a new threat, and we are asking you to join—"

"She's not going to join you," Inuyasha interrupted.

"Why don't you let me speak for myself?"

"Because if I do, you'll do something stupid, like actually wasting your time on this Senshi crap instead of looking for jewel shards, which is what you _should_ be doing. You already spend way too much time here for that useless 'education' you're always bitching about."

"But we're talking about saving the world," Minako pleaded.

"And if Kagome doesn't stop Naraku in the past, there won't be a world ta save," Inuyasha retorted. "Besides, the whole thing is her fault anyway."

"Hey!"

"What? If it wasn't for you, the Shikon Jewel wouldn't be in who knows how many shards right now. Not to mention the fact that you even brought it back in the first place."

"Damn it, I didn't know!"

"Humph! Fine! Go ahead and parade around in some stupid costume! See if I care!" The hanyou began walking towards the well, continuing to mutter to himself. "Dumb things look like something a whore would wear anyway—"

That was about all Kagome could take of Inuyasha's attitude, so she turned to her usual corrective. **"Sit, boy!"**

"Oof!" Inuyasha once again found himself with a face full of floor. (Which was actually pretty fortunate, as it was much less severe than what the Senshi he'd just inadvertently insulted were contemplating.)

Kagome turned back to the others. "Sorry about that. Inuyasha's never really been the most tactful person in the world. But… he does have a point. The stuff I'm doing in the feudal era is pretty important, and I don't have a lot of extra time for something like this."

"Well, you wouldn't have to do it _all_ the time," Makoto pointed out. "I mean, once all the Senshi are found, that will make 21 Senshi… I'm sure we'd be able to just keep you on reserve for when there's an emergency."

"Plus, who's to say that your Senshi abilities won't come in handy in the past?" Minako added. "Maybe we could even help you."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, here," Setsuna jumped in. "I'll admit that Kagome has managed to avoid causing any paradoxes, which in turn implies that the timeline _requires_ her to engage in frequent time travel in order to maintain stability, but sending large groups of people through time when it's not absolutely necessary to do so is generally not a good idea. But as to Kagome's use of Senshi powers in the past, I don't see how it could have an overly negative effect — Senshi magic is much older than 500 years, after all."

Kagome looked somewhat skeptical, "And you're qualified to talk about this because…."

"Because I'm the Guardian of the Time Gates. It's my business to know the ins and outs of the space-time continuum. In any case, all of this is moot until we get your response."

Kagome mulled over the choice before her. "Well… if you're certain that you won't need me _all_ the time…."

"And we are," Minako confirmed. "At least, I'm pretty sure you can stay on reserve."

"Then… I guess I'll have to accept."

This decision resulted in the immediate application of a hug by Minako to her cousin. "Oh, I'm so glad you're with us now! Don't worry, you've made the right choice."

"Yeah, well, I guess there's no messing with destiny, right?" Kagome looked pointedly at Inuyasha to see how the dog-boy would react.

"Humph," the hanyou groused. "These new abilities had better be worth the trouble."

"I'm sure they will," Minako said. "and I bet that at least a few of us can help you out…."

"Mina-chan, _please_ don't make promises like that," Setsuna said in a somewhat worried tone. "Time travel is not something to be treated lightly."

"Well, _somebody_ has to help her learn about her new abilities, and I figured that since Inuyasha seems so keen on having Kagome in the feudal era, she could learn it there…." Minako trailed off, prompting some concern.

"Minako?"

"I've got it! _You_ can help her, Setsuna!"

"Wh-What?!"

"Of course! I mean, if anyone knows how to deal with time travel, I figure it's gotta be you, right? Plus, you can explain things to your past self if you get suspicious… I mean, if _she_ gets suspicious…."

"Uh, I suppose, but… but I never really worked that closely with the Zodiac Senshi…."

"Well, there's a first time for everything, right?"

"I… I guess… though I'd rather have Usagi's approval first…."

"Who's Usagi?" Kagome suddenly asked.

"Oh, she's Sailor Moon, our leader," Minako chirped excitedly. "She's about the nicest person in the universe — and she's got a talking cat, too." This lead to a more extensive conversation about the current state of the Sailor Senshi, including their various globetrotting adventures in search of the Zodiac Amulets and their respective Senshi.

The girls were still in the midst of their conversation when Inuyasha suddenly barked out, "Quiet!"

This outburst was so unexpected that the Senshi did indeed stop talking for a few seconds, mostly due to surprise. Kagome was the first to find her voice: "What is it now, Inu—"

"Shhh!" the half-demon hushed. It was then that Kagome noticed that Inuyasha's ears were twitching, as though he was listening intently for something. The dog-boy then took a few sniffs of air, after which he turned to Minako. "You! Did any other humans come here with you?"

The blonde girl looked somewhat confused. "Um, no… there's just the six of us, and Artemis and Sting…. Why do you ask?

"Because right now, I'm picking up the scent of _eight_ different humans. The six of you plus Kagome leaves one unaccounted for, and I can tell you right now that it isn't any of her relatives."

The humans present probably would have reacted to this information, were it not for the sudden sound of movement on the roof of the small building. "I knew it!" shouted the hanyou, who immediately exited through the door and leaped on top of the roof. He was followed soon thereafter by seven women with rather concerned looks on their faces.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked when she didn't hear any reaction.

"Damn it, he's gone."

"He?"

"Yeah…" the hanyou confirmed after a few sniffs. "Definitely male."

"Who could it be?" Makoto asked as the dog-boy continued investigating.

"More importantly, how much did he hear?" Nabiki asked.

"Well," Ukyo pointed out, "he had to have arrived after we did, or else my Scales would have tipped."

"Unless he was just stopping for a few minutes and didn't have any evil intent," Ami pointed out.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Inuyasha said.

"Hey, it's plausible that a roof-hopper might get tired," Ukyo countered, as she knew several roof-hoppers personally.

"Yeah, but if he was just resting, he probably would have made a lot more noise and I'd have noticed him sooner…. Hold on…." The hanyou stooped down and took a few sniffs of an area close to the roof. "What the hell…?"

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

"Girls."

"Huh?"

"Two dozen or so, around your age… for some reason, there's a whole lot of female scents, concentrated in this one area. It's the weirdest thing…."

"Do you think they might be in danger?" Minako asked.

"I don't know… I'm still trying to wrap my head around how so many girls could have been in this one spot without anyone noticing. I mean, the scents are fainter, so maybe it happened earlier, but still…."

There was a few more seconds of silence before Nabiki spoke up. "Say, um, what was your name?"

"Inuyasha."

"Right. Inuyasha, you don't suppose that you might actually be picking up scents from articles of clothing, would you?"

"I guess that could be it, but they seem a little strong for something like that. I mean, what article of clothing could possibly maintain a scent that's so overwhelmingly feminine?"

This caused another pause for about two seconds. Then suddenly Ukyo got a flash of inspiration. "Panties!"

This not being a word that is typically shouted at the top of one's lungs, the others were quick to ask for a clarification: "Excuse me, Ukyo, but what are you talking about?" Ami asked.

"Come on, what other articles of clothing are going to get 'overwhelmingly feminine' scents?"

"But why would so many panties from so many girls be in one place?" Minako asked.

"Simple," Nabiki replied, having already caught the gist of Ukyo's reasoning. "Happosai."

"Who's Happosai?"

"He's the founder of the Anything Goes school of Martial Arts and a total pervert with a tendency to steal women's undergarments," Nabiki explained.

"And," Ukyo added, "he's in cahoots with Duplicas."

"I'm guessing this Duplicas isn't the friendly type," Inuyasha said.

"Definitely not," Makoto replied. "She's after the amulets as well — and considering that we've got more than half of them, she's got to be getting desperate."

"In other words, if he gets to this Duplicas and lets her know that Kagome has one of the amulets…"

"Then things could get very ugly, very quickly," Setsuna finished.

"Well, then what the hell are we doing standing around here? Let's get him!" And without further ado, Inuyasha jumped down to the ground, allowed Kagome, who'd already grabbed her bow and quiver, to climb onto his back, and the two leapt into the rapidly darkening evening sky, following the old man's scent.

"We'd better follow them," Ami said, staring at her computer. "Inuyasha's moving _really_ quickly."

"Plus, no one's told Kagome _how_ to use her amulet yet," Artemis added. "If they run into Duplicas…."

Minako blanched that the suggestion. "That would be bad." Six transformations followed, and the Senshi took to the rooftops of Tokyo.

* * *

Inuyasha and Kagome had caught up to Happosai easily enough; no matter how fast Happosai was, he was no match for a certain determined half-demon, even when he was carrying the reincarnation of a previous love interest on his back. Thus, the shrunken pervert had stopped in a clearing in the middle of a heavily wooded park and prepared for a confrontation… which ended after about 30 seconds when the dog-demon pinned him to the ground with his foot.

"Alright, you little weirdo, explain what you were doing back at the shrine."

Happosai, however, suddenly got a confused look on his face when he heard the hanyou's voice. "Ranma? Is that you? What are you doing dressed up like a furry?"

"Who the hell is Ranma?" It was a decidedly odd question to Happosai's ears, as it was asked in a voice that sounded almost exactly like the youngest practitioner of the Saotome school, at least when said practitioner was in possession of his Y chromosome.

"Maybe Akane hit his head too hard or something," Happosai mused to himself. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened, after all… but that didn't explain why Ranma's ki signature felt a bit off-kilter.

Happosai's continued disregard managed to anger Inuyasha further; as a result, he picked up the diminutive martial arts master and brought him to face level. "Hey! Don't ignore me!"

"But aren't you always telling me to leave you alone, Ranma?" _Assuming this __**is**__ Ranma_… The more he focused on his captor's ki, the more doubted that conclusion. Sure, Ranma's ki was a bit unusual, but this… this felt almost… _inhuman_, yet still human.

"Look, buddy, I don't know who you're talking about, and quite frankly, I don't care. Now, are you going to tell me what you were doing, or do I have to _make_ you?"

Happosai looked ready to give another retort, when suddenly he sensed something very familiar and decidedly unpleasant. _Time to get out of here._ "I'm going to go with 'None of the above.' See you around, Ranma!" With that, he escaped the hanyou's grasp and took off — well, first he jumped to the chest of a nearby girl in a school uniform for a quick fondle, and _then_ he took off.

Kagome, like most of Happosai's victims, was not pleased with his attentions. "That disgusting little pervert! C'mon, Inuyasha, he's getting away!"

"Oh, but you have far _worse_ things to worry about than a senile old fool," came a voice from… somewhere.

"Um, Inuyasha," Kagome asked nervously. "Was that you?"

"Did it _sound_ like me?"

"Um, not really…."

The voice, which Kagome just now realized had a distinctly feminine sound to it, chuckled softly. "How amusing. You and your partner make for an interesting comedy team, Archer."

"I'd bet my right arm that this is that Duplicas demon those other girls mentioned," Inuyasha said. "Kagome, where is she?"

"I… I don't know. I can tell she's nearby, but I can't quite place her location."

"Of course you can't. Do you think me so foolish as to allow you to gain such an advantage?"

"What do you want, bitch?!" the hanyou shouted.

"Your doggy has quite a foul mouth, Archer. But as for what I want, I should think that obvious. Surrender the Sagittarius Amulet, and I may consider allowing you to die with relatively little pain."

"Lady, people who use corny lines like that are the sort of folks who shouldn't be allowed to get their grubby meathooks on _anything_ valuable," Inuyasha retorted. "Besides, if you're so dangerous, why haven't you shown yourself? You're probably bluffing."

"Bluffing, am I?" the disembodied voice said with more than a hint of derision. "Very well, you shall be made to see the error of your ways." It was then human and hanyou noticed that shadows were gathering in one spot. They rapidly built themselves up into a strange looking form, about seven feet tall, with the torso of a human on the body of a horse.

"What the…?" Inuyasha asked. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen a demon like _that_ before.

"It's a centaur," Kagome replied.

"I see you're familiar with Western mythology. Let's increase that familiarity, shall we?"

"Oh, will you knock it off with the oblique threats? If you want to tell us we're going to die, just tell us we're going to die," Inuyasha said.

"Very well. Die." And with that word, the centaur produced a bow and quiver seemingly from nowhere and fired off a shot towards the pair, both of whom managed to jump out of the way in time to avoid a burst of energy when the arrow hit the ground.

"Holy cow…" Kagome said to herself.

"Now is not the time to be talking about beef!" Inuyasha shouted, apparently with complete sincerity. He once again drew the Tetsusaiga and found that this time worked exactly as intended, much to his relief. The hanyou then proceeded to do what he did best, and charged towards his foe, intent on hitting some vital spot (or giving Kagome an opening to do the same with her bow).

However, several minutes into the fight, Kagome had yet to get the opportunity to get off an accurate shot, as she had to keep moving to avoid the centaur's arrows, the majority of which seemed to be aimed at her. Inuyasha was doing what he could to distract it with the Tetsusaiga, but the creature seemed adept at fending off his blows while still managing to get off an insane about of shots aimed in the direction of the teenaged girl. Finally, however, the pair seemed to get a break, as Inuyasha began to focus his attacks on the centaur's _bow_ rather than the monster itself. This change in strategy proved integral to turning the tide of battle, as the Inuyasha was able to cleave the monster's bow in twain with his Tetsusaiga.

Taking full advantage of the opportunity, Kagome stopped, pulled an arrow from her quiver, took careful aim, and, using her Sacred Arrow purification technique, let loose an arrow that penetrated deep into the centaur's torso, causing it to let out an inhuman wail. "It worked!" Kagome shouted as the centaur disintegrated into shadows. "We did it!"

"Hmph. That was too easy," Inuyasha replied, looking around warily.

"Oh, come on, Inuyasha, we just won… didn't we?"

"Congratulations, Sagittarius," the voice suddenly chimed. "I see you've managed to pick up a new trick over the millennia, and what's more, you didn't even need to transform to use it. You could indeed make a formidable foe — but luckily for me, that's not going to happen."

"What does she mean by that?"

Inuyasha responded by pointing to the spot the centaur had been standing in when he'd disintegrated, and where, as Kagome discovered, it was rapidly _re_integrating.

"This… could be bad."

"No, really?"

"You don't need to be sarcas—" Kagome was cut off by a sudden _whoosh_ as another arrow flew by her. This one didn't explode when it hit the ground, merely dissolving into shadows instead. "Yikes!"

"Less talking, more purifying," Inuyasha said. He looked up to his opponent to see a grin on the centaur's face. "What are you looking so smug for? You missed."

"Um, Inuyasha…."

"What is it?" The hanyou looked over his shoulder to see Kagome holding her bow… which had its string snapped in two.

"I, uh, don't think he missed…."

"Great, just great." The Sacred Arrows were Kagome's primary method of attacking — now Inuyasha would have to take care of them both. "We can't win like this… let's get out of here." Kagome quickly climbed on his back and the half-demon started to jump away in retreat, only to have the centaur hit them with a blast of energy when they were about ten feet in the air, causing the pair to tumble to the ground.

"Kagome! Are you okay?"

"I… I think so." Indeed, Inuyasha had received the brunt of the centuar's attack; Kagome's injuries (which were thankfully limited to bumps and bruises) were more the result of her fall than anything else. The pair got to their feet and faced the centaur again.

"We are in deep shit here," the hanyou said, stating the blatantly obvious. "She's toying with us."

"Um, don't worry, Inuyasha," Kagome said, trying to encourage her friend, "I'm sure the Senshi will be here soon. You just have to hold this guy off until they get here. I mean, it's just one demonic shadow thing, right?"

No sooner had Kagome made this statement than two more shadowy figures started coalescing behind her, forming two more centaurs, each just as large and menacing as the first, and each armed with their own bow and quiver.

"Quit giving the enemy ideas, Kagome!"

Kagome simply nodded and drew closer to Inuyasha as the three centaurs began galloping in circles around them.

The situation was looking rather bleak for Kagome and her hanyou friend. They were surrounded by enemies, and escape seemed impossible at the moment. It seemed that the only reason they were still alive was because Duplicas had decided to delay their destruction as long as possible for her own amusement, and even this time appeared to be running out, as the three centaurs stopped their gallops and had all drawn their bows.

But just as the monsters let their arrows fly, a shout rang out from the shadowy trees: "Scale Shield!" Instantly, a barrier formed around the pair, blocking the incoming arrows. The source of this barrier, one Sailor Libra, then proceeded to emerge into the clearing, along with five other similarly dressed women.

"Shabon Spray!" Sailor Mercury shouted out, creating a dense fog which obscured the pair from vision, allowing them to escape the immediate ire of Duplicas and her minions.

"What happened?" Venus asked her cousin.

"We found the pervert, but he got away, and then this wacko and her centaurs attacked us," Kagome said as briefly as possible. "We seemed to be doing okay until the string on my bow broke."

"Well, I suggest you use that amulet if you don't want to be turned into Swiss cheese," Scorpio told her before jumping into the fray with her Scorpio Scissors at the ready.

"But how do I do that?"

"Just hold the amulet and say the first words that pop into your head," Libra instructed.

The teenaged girl nodded and complied with these instructions: **"Sagittarius Zodiac Power, Make Up!"** Kagome was engulfed in bright light, garnering the attention of everyone present. When the light stopped, it revealed Sailor Sagittarius in full Senshi regalia. Like most of the Senshi, her uniform was based on fairly simple leotard (albeit a leotard that was reinforced by magic that allowed it to serve as armor), but otherwise, her color scheme was unique, with a maroon skirt and collar, and a golden tiara sat on her head with a highly polished agate in the middle of her forehead.

However, though these variations on the standard theme clearly identified Sagittarius as a Senshi, there were several noticeable differences that made her quite distinct. First of all were her gloves: where most of her compatriots wore elbow-length opera gloves into battle, Sagittarius wore fingerless leather gauntlets that only came about halfway up her forearm. These were reinforced by highly polished steel and embossed with an image of the stylized arrow that represented her constellation. Another difference was found in her footwear; the other Senshi generally wore some variety of mid-to-high-heeled shoes or boots, which, when one stopped to think on it, was rather counterintuitive, since they often had to run while wearing them. Sagittarius' boots, on the other hand, were not merely made for walking, but for running, jumping, and generally maneuvering over uneven terrain while providing maximum support for her ankles. Like her gauntlets, the boots were made out of leather, and came halfway up her legs, where they appeared to be tied off by shoelaces (these laces, however, could not be untied, and served no functional purpose, as Sagittarius' footwear employed magic to stay on her feet; after all, a loose shoelace could be a liability in a fight).

But what set Sagittarius apart the most were her weapons. Unlike other weapon-wielding Senshi, who summoned their tools after their transformations, Sagittarius' bow and quiver were so essential to her powers that they were actually part of the uniform itself. The bow was a recurve bow, vaguely reminiscent of the Hun design, though hers was far more accurate due to its symmetry (after all, Sagittarius fought her battles on foot, and didn't need to worry about her bow getting in the way of a horse's neck). It had the additional benefit of being waterproof (though whether this was due to magic or simply part of the bow's physical properties was uncertain), thus removing the Hun bow's primary drawback while retaining its speed and power. The bow was (or appeared to be) made of a dark rosewood that matched her uniform's overall color scheme perfectly. On her back was a similarly colored quiver, filled with about a dozen arrows that had a wide array of colors in their feathering.

All in all, Sailor Sagittarius looked quite impressive, to the point where Inuyasha forgot the casual insult he was going to make about her inane transformation phrase.

"Damn it!" shouted Duplicas from her still-unseen location as yet _another_ of the Zodiac Senshi accessed her powers. "Kill her!"

Sagittarius, however, did not give the centaurs a chance to do so, as she immediately started moving as fast as she could, firing off arrow after arrow, her Senshi powers making her shots much more accurate. "What are you standing around gawking for?" she called to her compatriots. "Let's get these jerks!"

This was enough to get the Senshi and Inuyasha back into action, and it soon became apparent why Duplicas had shown so much frustration when Sagittarius had transformed: her powers turned an already-skilled archer into a nigh-unbeatable one, and the fact that this incarnation of Sagittarius already knew a purification attack didn't help her cause one bit. As the new Senshi fired off shot after shot, it seemed that her quiver wasn't getting any emptier, and with good reason: quite simply, her quiver _wasn't_ getting emptier. For the arrows in Sagittarius' quiver were not intended to be used for her primary attack; they were, instead, elementally charged arrows, identifiable by the colors of their fletching, and Sagittarius had a limited supply of each. Her primary "attack" was actually her ability to produce arrows _ex nihilo_, much like Tuxedo Kamen did with his rose-darts. She did this by going through the motions of drawing an arrow from her quiver, which gave the illusion that said quiver never emptied.

Yet it was equally apparent that her powers were not without drawbacks. While Sagittarius' attacks were fast and accurate, they were relatively lacking when it came to magical power; what was more, firing off arrows in a short amount of time meant that there was less time to concentrate on each shot, thus blunting Kagome's Sacred Arrow purification technique, which required a few seconds to properly build up.

Still, the centaurs were outnumbered more than 2 to 1, and were soon under control… though Duplicas had yet to be located.

"Hasn't the Mercury Computer found her yet?" Venus called to her blue-skirted ally.

"I told you, whatever cloaking spell she's using seem difficult to crack, though it does seem to be weaken each time she generates a centaur; I'm guessing that's why she hasn't created any more than three so far."

"Well, if it gets, slightly weaker when _one_ goes down…." Venus thought to herself before suddenly getting an idea. "I've got it! Get them all close together!"

This was not particularly difficult to do, since the centaur were all focusing the bulk of their attention on Sagittarius, as they had been ordered; it was fairly simple to herd them together with a few well-directed attacks. When they were within a few meters of each other, Venus unleashed her strategy. "Venus Love-Me Chain!" The magical golden chain surrounded the shadow beasts, pulling them together. So close were they that Inuyasha was able to jump into the air and cut through all three bows with a single stroke of the Tetsusaiga. Thus disarmed, if only temporarily, the centaurs were left open for a few seconds, and Pluto, who had thus far been limiting herself to using her Garnet Rod as a melee weapon, took advantage by throwing her signature Dead Scream, obliterating the shadow beasts and in turn causing the Mercury Computer to light up.

"There!" Mercury shouted as she pointed to a tree, where for the first time a humanoid figure was visible amongst the branches.

"We need to stop her before she cloaks herself again," Sagittarius said. She rushed over to her cousin. "Venus! I'll lend you my power!" She put her hand on the Senshi of Love's shoulder and flooded her with power.

Venus materialized a bright mana bow in her left hand, not dissimilar from Sailor Mars' Flame Sniper; she then produced a bolt of mana in her right and took aim at the figure (an easy task given the nature of Sagittarius' powers). Venus called out the name of her attack, **"Crescent Arrow!"** and let the bolt of light-based magic fly.

The arrow found its mark before Duplicas could re-cloak herself, causing the shadow youma to explode like a firework, disintegrating from the inside out. As the last pieces faded from existence, Duplicas' voice could still be heard, faint though it was: "Damn you, Senshi! Damn you all to hell…."


	13. Yo Ho, Yo Ho

Author's Notes:

Again, the rest of this story wasn't written by me, but by fellow author Kwakerjak. Thus, all credits for the rest of the story go to him.

* * *

"I am very displeased with you, Duplicas."

"I… I know, my Lady." The shadow youma was currently kneeling in front of a large throne where her superior was seated, her inscrutable expression further cloaked by the overall dimness of the chamber.

"Thus far, you have utterly failed to keep the Zodiac Senshi from accessing their power before they could be brought into our sphere of influence."

"But… but Capricorn—"

"You never truly had Capricorn under your sway — you simply played to the delusions of an already troubled psyche."

"But Asuka is not in regular contact with the others," Duplicas pointed out. "She could be turned again."

"You seem to be forgetting that Virgo's actions separated her personality into two. While it would likely be fairly easy to ensnare Asuka, Capricorn is a completely different story. She knows that Asuka is still mentally fragile, and she will not allow her to be used in such a way.

"But that is beside the point," the woman continued. "In the last week, four of the Zodiac Senshi managed to activate their powers. Two of those Senshi have abilities that are so strategically advantageous that they are nearly equal to Mercury's power for all practical purposes, and you let one of those Senshi achieve her goal without _any_ interference on your part!"

The last comment stung Duplicas very hard — clearly, her handling (or lack thereof) of Sailor Gemini was being taken as evidence of gross incompetence. And since incompetence was a virtual death sentence for highly-ranked youma, she did what she could to defend herself. "That… that's not true. I helped that lunatic escape, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did… and she went and attacked not Gemini, but _Uranus_, of all people! You didn't even _try_ to influence her actions in a helpful manner. Did you think that mere chaos was enough to keep a Senshi from her duty?!"

Duplicas swallowed hard… this did not look good.

The woman from the shadowy throne continued her rebukes. "And Sagittarius… what the hell were you thinking?! She was bad enough in the Silver Millennium, but _now_ she's somehow managed to acquire a purification attack! And when you found out about this, instead of doing the strategically sane thing and _killing_ her on the spot, you had the gall to _toy_ with her!

"Thanks to you, I've been forced to draw up multiple contingency plans for the next phase of this operation — plans that in no way require your continued existence, by the way."

Duplicas realized that the time for defending her actions was past — her only hope of survival now was through abject groveling. "M-My Lady, I beg you, please… allow me one more chance! The identity of Sailor Aries is still unknown to the Senshi, as is the location of her Amulet. Grant me one last opportunity, and I assure you that I shall deliver both into your hands."

"I shall grant this," the mysterious woman replied, "but only because the nature of Aries' power is such that she can single-handedly turn the tide of a battle. There were some who said she could have traded blows with Saturn herself and survived."

"But… but no _one_ Senshi could possibly defeat Saturn."

"I didn't say she could _defeat_ Saturn, I said she could _survive_ Saturn, and assuming that the prattling of her power-hungry admirers had any hint of truth to them. In any case, Sailor Aries is easily the most strategically valuable of the Zodiac Senshi. If we can pull her under our sway, our original plans may prove to be… reasonably salvageable. But this is your _last_ chance, Duplicas."

"I understand, my Lady."

"I want you to focus your efforts on finding the Aries amulet. Aries herself can wait for the moment. Once you discover its location, you shall keep it from falling into the Senshi's hands, using whatever means necessary to do so."

"Yes, my Lady."

"Good. You are dismissed."

"Yes, my Lady." Duplicas got off her knees, and before she left the chamber, she bowed to the woman in a show of extreme gratitude. "Thank you, Lady Zodiac."

* * *

Although Taurus, Cancer, and Sagittarius had been identified and had accepted their roles as Senshi, coordinating a large meeting between all of the Senshi turned out to be more difficult than expected. Even though Maria had offered to make their traveling plans much more flexible through her access to the Digital World, there were still scheduling conflicts to deal with. Kagome spent a good portion of her time in the feudal era, and most of her time in the twenty-first century was understandably devoted to her family and her education. Jade's participation in the Senshi was also contingent on her education; Jackie had only taken thirty seconds to decide that she had to keep her grades at a satisfactory level if she wanted to participate with any regularity, though the other Senshi _had_ gotten him to agree to make exceptions when there were truly dire emergencies (nonetheless, _he_ would be the final judge of the direness of any situation).

Still, Usagi was quite optimistic about the new situation. For one thing, the new crop of Senshi already had several impressive allies of their own. In addition to her uncle Jackie (whose archeological skills would no doubt come in handy as the search for the Aries amulet got underway), Jade also had connections (again, through her uncle) with some sort of covert agency of the U.S. government (or perhaps it under the direction of the U.N. — Jade wasn't entirely certain herself). Plus, her great-uncle (who answered to the name Uncle) was apparently a powerful chi wizard; in fact, Setsuna was pretty sure that she'd met Uncle on several occasions previously. Speaking of connections, Maria's unique position of being both a Senshi and a Digidestined gave the superheroines access to a positively huge network of kids around the world, nearly all of whom could hold their own in a fight when they worked with their Digimon partners. Indeed, Maria had already gotten in touch with the Japanese Digidestined to see if they would be willing to help out if necessary; in her words, the possibility looked "quite plausible." And while Kagome's connections in the present weren't that extensive, the ones she had in the _past_ were nothing to sneeze at. She was reasonably sure that if the Senshi needed anything done in that time period, she and her group of adventurers could and would handle it. Plus, her half-demon companion Inuyasha seemed to have few problems traveling through time himself, and he was definitely willing to help out (if only to hasten Kagome's return to the feudal era). All in all, quite an impressive list of contacts.

Second, and almost as importantly (to her, at least) was the fact that she no longer had to hide anything from her best friend. Now that Naru had become Sailor Gemini, she could finally share her experiences as a superheroine with her. For her part, Naru was anxious to contribute what she could to their efforts; she actually seemed a little disappointed that she hadn't yet had the opportunity to transform herself. Still, from her conversations with Setsuna, she'd gotten a rough idea of what her abilities entailed. In addition to her ability to create duplicates of herself, Gemini could create a double of anyone around her — including her fellow Senshi. Granted, those doubles usually only had about half of the power of the original (or, in Saturn's case, about one quarter the power, since Gemini really couldn't handle much more than that), but still, there were definitely instances where one and a half Sailor Moons would come in handy.

What was more, Gemini was one of the three Zodiac Senshi colloquially known during the Silver Millennium as the "Strategic Zodiacs," the other two being Sagittarius and Aries. They were so called because all three had powers that, when skillfully used, could make them nearly equal to a Planetary Senshi for all practical purposes. But, as Setsuna had pointed out, the key word in this instance was "skillfully." While their abilities were given to them when they assumed their positions, skillful use of their powers for maximum effectiveness was something that could only come with experience, which was something that Naru had absolutely none of at the moment. Furthermore, when Gemini was doubling someone else, the power of the original was substantially reduced; this was further complicated by the fact that Gemini had no magical attacks that she could perform on her own while her double was mimicking someone else. Thus, Gemini's abilities, while valuable, also came with a rather glaring weak point, which was exacerbated in Naru's case, since she didn't really know any form of martial art.

Of course, the Nerima Senshi had several ideas about how to remedy this situation, and Naru had agreed to investigate a few different martial arts styles to see if she could learn enough to keep from being a liability.

Still, though not all of the Senshi had met yet, Usagi made an executive decision to delay the "big meeting" until after Aries resurfaced — she figured they might as well wait until _everyone_ could get together (plus, they had yet to find an effective way to contact Sailor Capricorn, as Azusa didn't seem to understand their attempts to inform her of her status).

Thus, the logical next step was to find Sailor Aries and the Aries amulet, which was why the Planetary Senshi, Ranma, Akane, Nabiki and Naru (all the other Zodiac Senshi were either busy or otherwise unavailable) had gathered to discuss their next move.

"So," Usagi began as a way to steer the discussion to the topic at hand, "what do we know about Aries?"

"Well," replied Setsuna, "the most important thing you need to know about Aries was that of all the Zodiac Senshi, her abilities were the most coveted by the general population and the least understood."

"What do you mean, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked.

"Sailor Aries' power was so desired by those who wanted power, that even after the Silver Millennium, it remained in the minds of people as a symbol of power, which morphed over the years as it was incorporated into various myths and legends, the most notable being the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts."

"So, Sailor Aries' power has something to do with the Golden Fleece?" Ami posited.

"Actually the Aries amulet _is_ the Golden Fleece. Or rather, it is the reality that became the _legend_ of the Golden Fleece. In any case, I think I can safely say that no other Senshi had that degree of permanence that they're still remembered by the general population today, albeit in an extremely distorted form."

This left those in attendance (including those who only had a passing familiarity with Greek mythology) stunned. It was Makoto managed to ask the obvious question: "Just what _can_ she do, anyway?"

"Basically, she was one of the few people who could exert any significant amount of power over Fortune on a regular basis."

This did not exactly assuage the Senshi's curiosity, as Akane's response showed: "Power over Fortune? What does that mean?"

"Well, that means she can exert some degree of control over the otherwise uncontrollable factors that make a person's situation fortunate or unfortunate."

"So… what? She controls Luck?"

"Well, not quite — there's a subtle difference between Luck and Fortune. But that description will do in the short term, I suppose. Just remember that it's a vast simplification."

"Okay, so she controls Luck, or Fortune, or whatever. So, what does that mean? When she uses her power, she gets more lucky?"

"Well, she or her allies, depending on who the target of her spell is. She can also decrease the Fortune of her enemies… or her allies, for that matter."

"Why would she make one of her allies unlucky?"

"There are rare occasions when it can be advantageous to be disadvantaged."

"Huh?"

"Look, trust me, there are times when it's useful." Seeing that Usagi was not exactly convinced, Setsuna tried to come up with an example. "Well, let me put it this way. Sailor Aries' abilities were powerful, but they were also inherently chaotic, because Fortune is both capricious and ever-changing. Thus, if she tried to slam her enemies' luck down, there was a chance that their Fortune could 'rebound,' brining them back to the place they were before, or even possibly in a better position. _But_ there was a rather inventive way around that possibility."

"What was it?"

"Well, basically, it harnessed Libra's power to stabilize her ability. You see, she would use her attack on Libra, who would then use _her_ ability to balance out the Fortunes of herself and her opponent. The result was a lowering of Fortunes that, by its very nature, was more stable, and, in a sense, more dependable for longer periods of time. Of course, it was extremely dangerous for Libra, because in order to maximize the effect, Aries would reduce her Fortune to almost zero, which made her extremely susceptible to danger, if only temporarily."

"Oh. So it was basically teamwork, then."

"Exactly. In fact, since Fortune is inherently unpredictable, while Balance is inherently stable, Aries and Libra were extremely effective in battle together, because their abilities complemented each other almost perfectly. But make no mistake; Aries was quite formidable by herself, as well. I mean, this was a woman who could take a dozen blasts of mana to the abdomen from point-blank range and survive with relatively few injuries. I know, because I saw it happen myself. And I also know that she isn't any more well protected from magical attacks than any other Senshi."

"So, how did she survive?" Naru asked. "Did her power protect her?"

"In a manner of speaking. She used her power to temporarily increase her Fortune for about 60 seconds, which was apparently enough to distract her opponent, causing her to miscast the spell, making it several times weaker than it otherwise would have been."

This confused Ami somewhat. "But… that doesn't sound like magic at all. I mean, there's a perfectly logical non-magical explanation for it. The opponent was distracted, and made an error."

"Yes, I know it doesn't seem to stand up to Occam's Razor, but trust me, there's no way that particular opponent would have been distracted at _all_ under normal circumstances. And more importantly, whenever Aries used her ability, it almost _always_ worked. I can't really explain it all that well, because unlike most magic, Aries' was completely metaphysical in nature. Now that I think of it, _she_ couldn't explain her magic very well, even though she understood how it worked intuitively."

"Sounds like the kind of ability people would kill for," Nabiki said.

"That it was," Setsuna agreed. "Many people coveted her power, though I can safely say that her fellow Senshi knew it wasn't all it was cracked up to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let me put it this way. There was a saying that was common in during the Silver Millennium that went, 'I wish I was Saturn.' The implication was that a person's life was so bad, that to be as universally feared and shunned as Sailor Saturn was would be a better existence than the one they were currently going through. Of course, this was just a figure of speech. A cliché, if you will. No one _really_ wanted to be Saturn. No one, that is, except for Aries."

"What?"

"I'm convinced that she meant it when she said it. You see, although she was envied because she could control Fortune to some degree, her powers also had the unfortunate tendency to throw her karma completely out of whack. Her personal life was one of the unluckiest I've ever seen — despite the fact that her position as a Zodiac Senshi gave her a reasonably sized stipend, she always had money problems, and she was constantly making so-called 'friends' who only wanted to use her to further their own ends. As for her romantic life… well, the less said about that, the better. It got so bad that eventually she withdrew from public life completely, only speaking with the other Senshi. She never actually said so, but I could tell she was extremely lonely. And I know a thing or two about loneliness."

There was a pause for several seconds as this information sank in. Minako was the one who broke the silence: "Wow. That's… pretty depressing."

"Yes, it is. And what made it worse was the fact that she knew that her situation was a direct result of her Senshi abilities."

"So there was nothing she could do about it?" Michiru asked.

"On the contrary, she could do something — if she avoided using her Fortune magic for long stretches of time, her situation usually managed to improve somewhat."

"Can we get off of this subject?" Haruka asked in a slightly irritated tone. "We've got more important things to discuss, like where to start looking for the Aries amulet."

"Well, that's just the thing," Setsuna replied. "The Aries amulet has traded hands so many times that I lost track of it long ago. I've searched through my entire library, and I haven't found a thing."

"So how can we find it?" Usagi asked.

"It seems that our best bet is to find Aries first, and then have her use Nabiki's pendulum to locate the amulet."

"Okay, so where do we start looking for Aries?"

"I got an idea about that," Ranma suddenly perked up.

"You do?" Akane said with a clear tone of disbelief.

"If you have an idea, by all means, share it," Setsuna said. "At the very least, it could give us a starting point."

"First, lemme make sure I got the facts straight. Ya say Aries' didn't have much luck in her private life, right?"

"Right…" Setsuna replied, not sure where the pigtailed martial artist was going.

"An' she was sorta connected ta Libra, right?"

"I wouldn't say they were necessarily _connected_, but their personalities complemented each other perfectly, which was why they were such good friends."

"Close enough," Ranma said, clearly becoming more confident in his conclusion. "This has gotta be it. I mean, I'll admit it's kind of a long shot, but it also kinda makes sense when ya think about it."

"_What_ makes sense, Saotome?" Nabiki asked. "I'm not following your reasoning at all."

Upon the realization his idea had not even occurred to Nabiki, Ranma's smirk grew even more pronounced. "Ain't it obvious?" he asked rhetorically, knowing full well that it wasn't obvious at all. "Aries is Konatsu."

* * *

"No, Jade."

"But Uncle Jackie, this could be a matter of life and death!"

Jackie Chan, the world-famous if unassuming martial artist and archeologist, sighed to himself. Now that Jade was an honest-to-goodness superheroine, things had gotten quite complicated. Sure, he'd _said_ that she'd need to keep her grades up in order to participate with the other Senshi, but she knew as well as he did that there was no way he'd try to stop her if the world really needed Sailor Taurus. The problem was that Jade hadn't quite learned exactly _what_ kinds of situations warranted an appearance by Sailor Taurus. Indeed, at that very moment, there was a mugger in a holding cell of a San Francisco police station trying to convince people that he'd been attacked and knocked unconscious by a super-strong preteen vigilante in a schoolgirl outfit — fortunately, most of the officials assumed that it was a lame attempt at an insanity defense.

This had resulted in Jade being grounded for a week. As Jackie told her, she couldn't do anything that might attract unnecessary attention to herself. That was the whole point of having a secret identity to begin with.

Jade had actually accepted this reasoning without much of a fuss — sure, she wasn't happy about being grounded, but she didn't want to do anything that would endanger her friends and family. Still, she was having a difficult time containing her enthusiasm (not an unusual situation for her). She'd already offered her services to Section 13, ostensibly to make up for all the times she'd broken in and "borrowed" the Talismans, but everyone who knew her could tell that she just wanted an excuse to be Sailor Taurus again.

The folks at Section 13, however, had agreed with Jackie that any superhero activities would have to come second to her education, and if the "D+" she'd gotten on her recent Spanish quiz was any indication, it would be a while before she could act as a Senshi with any regularity. Thus, Jade had resorted to coming up with all manner of excuses for a trip to Tokyo to meet with the other Senshi, none of which seemed to be working.

"Jade, if it was a matter of life and death, I'm sure they would have already contacted you."

"But what if they _can't_ contact me? What if Japan is in chaos as we speak and there's no for them to get in touch?"

"Then I'm sure that nice Italian girl will show up here personally."

"But what if she doesn't? What if Venice is in the middle of a blackout and she can't get to her computer?"

Jackie sighed. He turned on a nearby television and changed the channel to CNN. "See? Nothing about any place being ransacked on any of the news stations."

"You can't trust the left-wing media! They've got their own agenda."

Jackie flipped the channel to FOX News, which, like the other networks, was not reporting the immanent destruction of Tokyo.

"You can't trust the right-wing media either!"

Jackie put his hands to his temples and sighed once again. "Bad day…."

* * *

"You can't be serious!" Akane said.

"Why not? Konatsu's certainly unlucky enough, what with the whole 'evil stepfamily' thing and the life of poverty. An' I figure all that time spent with Ucchan has gotta count for somethin' too. I mean, the two of them already match up pretty well as far as personality goes."

"Is this Konatsu person another one of the fighters in Nerima?" Michiru asked.

"You better believe it. Lemme put it this way — I've managed ta defeat every single one of the martial artists in Nerima at least once, _except_ for Konatsu."

"Konatsu's better than you?"

"Actually, last time we fought it was a draw. Konatsu ain't the type who goes around lookin' ta be better. Real humble, ya know? If Ucchan wasn't bein' held hostage at the time, it probably wouldn't have happened at all."

"She certainly sounds like a interesting girl," Rei said.

"Except 'she' is a _boy_," Akane pointed out, "which is why he _can't_ be Sailor Aries."

"Uh, hello?" Ranma said.

"_You_ don't count," Akane replied. "You turn into an _actual_ girl. _He_ just dresses up like one."

"Yeah, an' he's so good at it, he fooled Happosai, an' _he_ pretty much survives on female chi. Knowin' the difference between boys an' girls is a matter of life an' death with that little pervert. If he couldn't tell Konatsu was male, that's gotta count for somethin'. Besides, he usually acts more feminine than mosta the people in this room, except maybe Michiru — an' even that's cuttin' it close. Ucchan says it ain't an act either; he's like that all the time."

"Still, Akane has a point," Nabiki said. "You've never even tried to transform into Aquarius while you were male. Is it even possible?"

"It might be," Setsuna chipped in. "Though there could be some messy side effects. He could turn into a girl permanently."

"Which is exactly why I ain't gonna be tryin' anytime soon."

"But what about the Starlights?" Usagi pointed out. "They didn't have any problems, and they were male."

"Who are the Starlights?" Naru asked.

"You know who the Three Lights are?" Rei asked.

"Yeah… they were that idol group from a while back. What about them?"

"They're the Sailor Starlights."

"But I thought they were guys."

"They were. But when they transformed, they were girls."

"You're sure?"

"You'd better believe it," Haruka said. "Their costumes left even less to the imagination than _ours_ do."

"But they were also aliens," Setsuna added. "We have no idea how Senshi magic would affect a human male, because there isn't any precedent for it. It might change him permanently into a girl, it might simply make him a girl when he's Aries, or it might not even work at all."

"Assuming that he _is_ Sailor Aries." Akane said. "Though I can't see why he'd have a problem being a girl for the rest of his life."

"How about the fact that Ukyo's straight and he's hopelessly in love with her?" Nabiki pointed out. "If he gets rid of 'little Konatsu,' he'll never have a chance with her."

"Oh… there is that, I guess."

"Look, before we start spending to much time on this, why don't we try making sure he's actually Aries first?" Luna said, making Ranma jump.

"Gah!"

"Sorry, Ranma," the black mooncat said to the martial artist, who had quickly scurried to the opposite side of the room.

"N-N-N-Not your f-fault-t," Ranma managed to stutter out.

Ami tried to get the conversation back on track. "Even if Konatsu _is_ Aries, are we sure he'll be willing to join us?"

"I'd think he'd take any chance he could to be around Ukyo," Akane said.

"Even if he knows that he'll probably be unlucky for the rest of his life due to Aries' powers?"

"The way things are goin', that'll probably end up bein' the case anyway. He ain't got that much ta lose there."

"Just how unlucky is he?" Usagi asked in a somewhat disbelieving voice.

"It probably best ta let him tell his own story. He's really good at it. Besides, I don't know all the details, 'cuz I usually gotta leave the room after five minutes or else my whole day ends up bein' a downer."

"And how do we find out?" Hotaru asked. "Do we walk up to him and have one of the animals check him out? Won't he get suspicious?"

"Yer darn right he'll get suspicious. He's trained his whole life ta be on the lookout for anythin' like that. They don't call him the 'Kunoichi Genius' for nuthin'."

"But how do we make sure he doesn't find out about the Senshi?"

Ranma smirked. "Listen, I'll be surprised if he don't _already_ know about us. I mean, ninja are great at surveillance an' stuff, an' he's totally devoted ta Ukyo, so I figure that means there ain't much chance of anythin' major changin' in her life without him knowin'."

"You're certain?" Ami asked.

"I'm positive. I dunno what excuse Ucchan gave ta him when she went on her trip ta Scotland, but I doubt it was enough ta keep him from gettin' curious. You wait an' see. If he _don't_ know the whole story, it's probably 'cuz he stopped lookin' inta things outta respect for Ucchan's privacy."

"What's with you, Saotome?" Nabiki asked with a perplexed look on his face. "I've never heard you gush with praise over any other fighter."

"That's 'cuz Konatsu's the only one I've met who deserves it. He's one of the best martial artists in Nerima — if the two of us ever _really_ went at it, I ain't entirely sure he wouldn't win. In fact, if ever got the element of surprise, I'd almost certainly lose for sure. Hell, he's so good, he might be able ta help us even if he _ain't_ Sailor Aries. In fact… he might make a good instructor for Naru."

"Why is that?" asked the orange-haired girl.

"Well, ya see, Konatsu _already_ knows a technique that lets him do what yer able ta do with yer Senshi powers — the Duplicating Body Technique, ta be precise. If anyone would be able ta help ya out with strategy, it'd be him. Plus, I doubt he'd charge ya much, since he considers the ¥10 per hour that Ucchan pays him ta be a decent wage."

"She only pays him that much?" Makoto asked.

"Hey, she _does_ give him room an' board, too. An' he's said that he thinks she's bein' too generous even with that."

"Wow… I've heard of thriftiness, but that's a little extreme."

"Yeah," Akane added, "he's actually so used to making food on a shoestring budget that he can't cook for Ucchan's — he always waters down the ingredients out of habit to make them last longer."

"Well, he certainly sounds like an interesting person," Usagi said. "I'd really like to meet him. You're certain we can trust him with our secrets?"

"Positive," Ranma said. "He ain't gonna do anythin' that might hurt Ucchan anytime soon."

"Okay… then I think we meet up with him as soon as possible."

* * *

Rather than go as a large, potentially attention grabbing group, only three of the Senshi (accompanied by a certain sentient arthropod) approached Ucchan's that afternoon. This group included Ranma, as it was his idea, Nabiki, who could prevent Sting from being squished by those who disliked scorpions by claiming he was her pet (because, in a sense, he was), and Usagi, who was coming along in case Konatsu needed additional persuasion—she was one of the most difficult people around to say "no" to, especially when she had a point. Only Luna had really managed to master the art of refusing Usagi, and she wasn't coming along on this excursion, mostly because of Ranma.

They managed to arrive at the okonomiyaki restaurant during a slow period, which meant that Ukyo (and presumably Konatsu as well) wasn't too preoccupied. "Hi there, Ranchan!" the chef greeted her fiancé. "Nabiki, Usagi: it's nice to see you too. So, what's up?"

"Nuthin' much, Ucchan. Is Konatsu around?"

"I'm pretty sure he's around here somewhere," Ukyo replied. "Is there a particular reason you want to see him?"

"Well, there might be, but it ain't the kind of thing I wanna talk about in front of your customers, if ya catch my drift." Actually, at the moment, Ukyo was only serving a single patron who was, at the moment, sitting in a corner of the restaurant.

"I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem to talk out here as long as you keep your voices down. That guy comes in pretty often, and he tends to mind his own business."

"I'm sure he does, Ucchan, but this ain't the sorta thing ya wanna take chances with."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Nabiki suddenly cleared her throat and gestured towards the arthropod perched on her shoulder. Ukyo got the message quickly. "Oh, right. _That._" Ukyo hadn't noticed Sting before now, mostly because she was used to the magical scorpion talking the ear off of anyone in the vicinity (usually Nabiki). If this was about some sort of Senshi business, then discretion was most definitely called for—odds were that there were still more versions of Duplicas out there, and one could never be too careful. However, as soon as Ukyo had accepted the necessity for privacy, that reminded her of another very salient point: "Wait, why would Konatsu need to know about that?"

"Well, ya know how we got most of our, uh, 'group' together right now? An' how we're only missin' one?"

"Yeah…. Are you saying you think Konatsu can help us find the last one?"

"I guess ya could put it that way."

"Huh? What do you mean by…." Ukyo's voice trailed off and her eyes widened as she suddenly realized exactly what Ranma meant. "You've got to be kidding me. It can't be him."

"Why not? Look, we were just talkin' ta Setsuna earlier this afternoon, an' he fits the description almost perfectly."

"_Almost_ perfectly?"

"Well, aside from the Y chromosome, that is."

"I don't believe this…."

"That's what Akane said, too," Nabiki observed.

"You're sure about this."

"Nope. That's why we're here ta find out."

"To find out what?" chimed in a new voice, startling the closely huddled teenagers.

"Konatsu!" Ukyo said as her surprise died down. "You didn't have to do that."

"I apologize, Ukyo-sama," the kimono-clad teen said with a slight bow.

"Wait… _you're_ Konatsu?" Usagi said with a look of slight disbelief. She had been utterly convinced that the demure waitress had been female when they walked in.

Konatsu sighed. "Yes, I'm a cross dresser; no, I'm not gay—"

This was obviously a set of answers to questions he was asked all the time, as it was clear that Konatsu was answering from memory. "That's alright. You don't have to explain anything; I'm already good friends with a cross dresser," Usagi said somewhat nervously.

"Oh. Sorry about that—I've just gotten somewhat used to getting a string of questions when folks find out I'm not a girl. In any case, our customer just left, so I took the liberty of putting up the 'closed' sign so you can have some privacy. If you need me, I'll be in—"

"Oh, come on, Konatsu," Nabiki interrupted. "If you heard enough to know that we wanted a private conversation, there's no way you could have missed the fact that it's going to be about you."

"I suppose you have a point," the kunoichi replied, "but I didn't want to seem presumptuous."

"That's alright, Konatsu," Ranma said. "So… just outta curiosity, exactly how much do ya already know 'bout what's goin' on?"

The kunoichi began looking somewhat nervous. "Ah, well, you see…."

"Go ahead and say it, Konatsu," Usagi replied. "You aren't in any trouble."

"Fine," said Konatsu with a sigh. "If I had to guess, I'd say this has something to do with the Sailor Senshi."

"Ha! I _knew_ he'd already know about it!" Ranma exclaimed triumphantly. "Ya owe me ¥500, Nabiki."

"Ah, no. You owe me ¥500 less than what you owed before." Still, Nabiki was glad she hadn't taken Ranma's initial bet of ¥2000. "Anyway, we're getting off track. So, Konatsu, just how _much_ do you know about the Senshi?"

"Well, quite a bit—I did some investigating when Ukyo-sama suddenly left for Scotland, because it didn't seem like the kind of thing she would normally do, what with her responsibilities at school and Ucchan's."

"So, ya basically used those kunoichi skills ta snoop around an' find out everythin'?"

"Well, not _everything_. I discovered the identities of the Planetary Senshi fairly easily, using leads from phone calls I'd heard Ukyo make to the Juuban area. Usagi's group needs to be a little more careful about what they say in public. I was not only able to confirm that they were Senshi within approximately ten minutes, but they gave me additional leads on the second group, who were a bit tougher to reach. I had already guessed that the Tendos and Ranma had something to do with the situation, though it was a while before I managed to confirm that all of you were part of this new group of Senshi. Azusa was easy to figure out once I noticed that the Senshi on the news exhibited a rather familiar looking form of kleptomania, and the like, while Shampoo was even easier thanks to her poor Japanese grammar. She really needs to learn to use pronouns."

"Trust me, she's well aware of that," Nabiki replied.

Konatsu nodded and continued: "Well, I'm almost certain that Cologne knows that Shampoo's a Senshi, but at the same time, she seems content to wait for Shampoo to ask her for assistance of her own will before she'll lend you a hand."

"Whoa… I never even thought ta ask Cologne about all this. Maybe the Amazon's got some sorta legends that coulda helped us. I mean, somethin' like the Silver Millennium sounds right up their alley as far as stories go."

"Perhaps," Konatsu replied, moving the conversation back to where it had been going. "Anyway, what I _don't_ know is exactly which girl is which Senshi, with the rather notable exception of Usagi, who is rather obviously Sailor Moon. And before you ask, I didn't really pay attention to which Senshi Azusa and Shampoo were: I figured that as long as I knew they wouldn't pose a threat to Ukyo-sama's wellbeing, it wasn't any of my business."

"Wow," Usagi said. "You figured all of that out by yourself? No wonder Ranma called you a genius."

Konatsu blushed heavily at the comment. "Oh, there's… there's no need to be so flattering. Really, I… I don't see why everyone calls me a 'genius.' I mean, I suppose I'm good at what I do, but I'm not _that_ talented. Not really."

"Konatsu, yer one of the best martial artists in Nerima. Hell, ya might even be better than me. Aside from me, Cologne an' Happosai are the only ones who'd give ya any problems, and _they_ were the ones who called you a genius in the first place."

"And I'm very grateful for their compliments, but I don't see why that's any reason for exaggeration."

"We're getting sidetracked again," Nabiki said.

"Oh, of course. I believe you said something about asking for my help in finding someone?"

"Not necessary," came a voice from Nabiki's shoulders.

Konatsu didn't looked fazed in the slightest by the talking scorpion; after all, he'd already overheard all of the talking animal sidekicks at least once, so there was nothing to be surprised about. No, instead, his face showed more confusion than anything else. "What do you mean?"

"We don't need your help to find the last Senshi, because that Senshi's already been found."

"I beg your pardon, but I'm not quite following you here."

"Congratulations, Konatsu! You're Sailor Aries!"

"Wh-**What?!**"

In a somewhat predicable moment, Konatsu reacted to the news with shock and disbelief. "You must be mistaken—there's no way I could possibly be a Sailor Senshi."

"Why not?" Ranma asked. "Is it 'cuz yer a guy? Lemme tell ya, I know personally that that doesn't actually knock anybody outta contention."

"No, that's not what I meant… I mean… surely there's someone else who could do the job better. I know you think me a genius, but to offer me this title is just too much. There are many talented martial artists around here. I am certain you can find one who is more deserving."

"Actually, no, we can't," Nabiki explained. "You see, you don't become a Senshi by filling out a job application or winning a contest or as a reward for good behavior or anything like that. We all became Senshi because that's who we were in past lives. Only one reincarnation of a Senshi can exist at any given time, Konatsu, and right now, that would be you." It wasn't until several hours later that Nabiki realized that this statement was somewhat inaccurate: after all Kagome was not only a reincarnation of Sagittarius, but of Kikyo as well, and assuming that she understood the archer correctly, she and her past self not only existed at the same time in the feudal era, but had even met and conversed on several occasions.

Konatsu wasn't certain what the mercenary Tendo was getting at. "What do you mean?"

"If you don't become Sailor Aries, there won't _be_ a Sailor Aries."

"Oh. Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice then, do I? I mean, if I'm really the only person who can do this, then I can't see why I would want to refuse." Much to Konatsu (and Ukyo's) surprise, the other three Senshi suddenly became apprehensive. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, we don't know," Usagi said. "There might be. You see, there might be… complications if a man tries to use Senshi magic."

"What complications?" asked Ukyo. "Ranchan hasn't had any problems."

"And I've also never had ta transform when I was a guy yet," Ranma pointed out. "I mean, my power ta control water basically means I can turn inta a girl without too many problems pretty quick."

"Ah, pardon me for interrupting," Konatsu said, "but could we get back to these complications?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Usagi put her finger to her lip and thought about how best to phrase her response to the kunoichi's questions. "Hmm… there's no easy way to say this… so we'll have Sting tell you!"

"What?!"

"Hey, you're supposed to be the 'Cute Talking Mascot,' aren't you?" Nabiki asked with a wry smile.

"Oh, alright. I'll tell him."

"Tell me what?"

"Well, Konatsu, like we said, we don't know how Senshi Magic will affect a man, but there's a definite possibility that it could turn you into a girl permanently."

"It… it could?"

"I'm afraid so—in fact, it seems pretty likely that something like that would happen to Aries, thanks to her powers."

"I don't understand."

"That's because I haven't explained things yet. Basically, Sailor Aries has control over Fortune—that's kind of like luckiness, only a lot more complex. It's a real boon to the Senshi as a group; a single strategically placed use of Aries' power can completely turn the tide of a battle. But the price tag for this is pretty darn huge. Apparently, when Aries uses her powers, she can totally mess up her karma, with the result that her personal life was and presumably still is all but guaranteed to be monumentally unlucky."

"Huh. I can see why you thought I might be Aries, then," Konatsu said in a darkly comic tone. "Don't worry about that. I'm used to having horrible luck. Have you guys heard my life story yet?"

"If yer gonna bring out the karaoke machine, I'm leavin' the room. I don't particularly wanna feel depressed for the rest of the day."

Usagi gave a sidelong glance to the martial artist before giving her own answer: "Ranma gave us a brief rundown when he first suggested you might be Aries, but he didn't go into many details."

"Trust me, Usagi, I've heard it hundreds of times," Ukyo interjected. "It is not the kind of thing you want to hear for the first time on a whim—you need to give yourself ample mental preparation to handle stories as depressing as Konatsu's."

"Ukyo," Usagi said, aghast. "He's standing right in front of you."

"Why should that bother me?" said the kunoichi. "She's absolutely right. In fact, the main reason I sing tons of songs while telling the story is so I can think about something other than the fact that my life is a never-ending parade of bad luck and missed opportunities. I'd be suicidal if I dwelled on my past too much."

"Oh. Well, then… are you really willing to make your life more unlucky, then?"

Konatsu sighed. "Usagi, you have to understand that I've already accepted that my life isn't going to be all that wonderful. I've learned to lower my long-term expectations quite a bit. I mean, look at me. I know full well that Ukyo-sama is never going to choose me as long as Ranma refuses to choose one of his fiancées. By Neriman standards, I should be spending my every waking moment trying to wreck their relationship, or improve Akane and Shampoo's chances, because that's how you're supposed to express love here: by twisting it into a destructive force. But I… I just want her to be happy. I can't give her happiness. I'm too damn poor and too damn unlucky. So I lowered my expectations. I honestly don't expect my life to get any better than it is now. And you know what? I'm content with that. Now, if I'm willing to accept inevitable defeat just to make Ukyo-sama's life better, doesn't it follow that I'm willing to accept much worse if I can help the entire world?"

"So, that's a yes, then?"

"Yes, it is. I'll do it. And damn the consequences, because the consequences don't give a damn about me."

Usagi hugged the young man in the kimono. "Thank you so much, Konatsu. This means a lot. I know we don't know each other very well, but if life ever gets too tough for you, I want you to know I'll do whatever I can to help."

Konatsu blushed. "Oh… you… you don't need to do that. I'm a ninja, after all—we're all about making do with what life deals to us."

Usagi gave a slight giggle. "I can see that you take modesty seriously. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I do the same for any of my Senshi. They give so much, that I want their lives to be as fulfilling as possible."

"Thank you, Usagi-sama," Konatsu said with a bow. "I am honored that you would do such a thing."

"I'm not going to be able to get him to drop the '-sama,' am I?" Usagi said with a glace at her companions.

"I'm afraid not, sugar," Ukyo said with a smirk. "But believe me, as far as personality quirks go, this one's pretty manageable, not to mention flattering."

"But it's not flattery—"

"I _know_, Konatsu. I was talking about how _I_ felt, not what _you_ intended."

"Oh. I apologize, Ukyo-sama," the kunoichi said with a deep bow.

"See what I mean, sugar? It's real easy to get used to that sort of thing. I'd advise you not to let it go to your head if you weren't already destined to rule the world."

"I wouldn't say I'm _destined_ to rule the world—just that that's very likely possibility, that's all."

Nabiki tapped the shoulder of the girl-who-would-be-Queen. "Ah, Usagi? If you and Konatsu can wrap up your modesty competition, maybe we can start focusing on finding the Aries amulet."

"What do you mean by that?" Konatsu asked.

"Well, you know all the globetrotting we've been doing recently? That's mainly been to find the Zodiac amulets that the Zodiac Senshi their powers. We've found eleven of them; yours is the last one we need to look for. We haven't found any clues yet—but now that we've found _you_, we don't need any," Nabiki said as she pulled out the Scorpio Pendulum. "Hey, Ukyo, you wouldn't happen to have an atlas, would you?"

Five minutes later, the Senshi crowded around a large book of maps as Konatsu suspended the magical device over its pages.

* * *

Setsuna's voice was dull from surprise: "The Marianas Trench."

"I'm afraid so," Nabiki replied. "We had Konatsu triple-check it just to make sure."

Clearly, this was not what Setsuna had expected when the three Senshi and Konatsu (Ukyo stayed in Nerima mostly because her restaurant was still open) had returned to inform her of the results. "You're telling me that the Aries amulet is at the bottom of the ocean?"

"More or less," Konatsu replied. "Of course, there's always the definite possibility that I'm not doing it right…."

Setsuna sighed and immediately dismissed those notions. "No, Konatsu, you did it right. The only thing you have to do is hold the pendulum over a map, which means that the only way you could do it _wrong_ is by dropping the pendulum."

"Well, maybe I'm not really Aries…."

"If you weren't Aries, it would have swung back and forth—you know, like a pendulum. No, Konatsu, you are definitely the last of the Zodiac Senshi, and it appears that your amulet is 11 kilometers below sea level."

"How on earth did it get there?" Usagi asked.

"Obviously, somebody dropped it," Setsuna replied. "Though whether it was an accident is hard to tell."

"What do you mean?"

"I've told you how Sailor Aries' karma was messed up by her powers, correct?"

"Yes," Konatsu replied with a slight hint of resignation in his voice.

"Well, the same holds true for normal persons who possess her amulet, except they have less control over its effects."

"So, what does that mean?" Nabiki asked.

"Basically, it's like a monkey's paw, except it doesn't grant specific wishes."

"Right. And a monkey's paw is…"

"It's an artifact that grants wishes, but the wishes always come true through means that end up making the wisher's life worse. For example, say you wished for ¥1,000,000. You'd get the money, but only as the result of a great personal tragedy—a family member might die, and you would then collect on that person's ¥1,000,000 life insurance policy. You'd have what you wanted, but you'd find that you didn't want it anymore."

"What if you wished that person back from the dead?"

"Zombie."

"Ugh. Sounds like there ain't no way ta win with those things."

"There isn't."

"And that's what the amulet does for normal persons?"

"Not precisely. As I said, it doesn't grant specific wishes. Rather, it usually increases the material possessions of the holder, but at the cost of immaterial things such as love and friendship. It's possible to gain wealth in a way that doesn't destroy the soul, but not if you use the Aries amulet to do it. As you might be able to guess, many of those who came into possession of the amulet were eager to be rid of it once they realized how it had affected their lives. Which is as good an explanation as any as to why it would be at the bottom of the ocean."

"Something tells me this one ain't gonna be easy."

"No—it isn't. I think I can say, without exaggeration, that this will be the most difficult amulet to get."

"Because Duplicas is getting desperate?" Usagi asked.

Setsuna shook her head. "I'm not worried about Duplicas right now; we have a more immediate problem to deal with."

"And that is?"

"How do we get Konatsu to the bottom of the ocean so he can claim his amulet?"

"Well, Shampoo can breathe underwater, and she can probably talk ta those deep-sea fanglyfishes with the light thingies on their heads. And Naru can use her Gemini powers ta double up Pisces, so we got two swimmers there, right?"

"Ranma, I'm not asking how to _find_ the Amulet. Like I said, it appears that the Senshi in question must be present in order for the amulet to be found. Thus, we need to get Konatsu to the bottom of the ocean."

"Um, SCUBA gear?"

"And how will that protect him from the massive amount of pressure? It's more than 1,000 times that of the atmosphere, after all."

"Well, uh, I'll take care of that."

"What?"

"Hey, I got power over water itself, right? I bet I could lower the pressure around him real easy. Heck, I could probably make him his own air bubble, so we might not need any equipment."

"You plan on creating a magic-based bathysphere, then? That's going to take a lot of intense concentration—and if you break it, Konatsu is going to be crushed."

"That won't be a problem."

"Oh? And what if Duplicas attacks you? Are you confident that you wouldn't break your concentration even then?"

"Uh…"

"And while I'm at it, it's going to take a lot of concentration for Gemini to double one of her fellow Senshi for the time it takes to get from the surface to the floor, not to mention the time it takes to find the amulet and return without getting the bends."

"Okay, if it's such a bad idea…"

"I'm not saying that."

"Then what are you saying?" Usagi asked.

"Two things. First, we need to make sure we put a lot of thought into this. Duplicas _needs_ the Aries amulet, and as a result, she's going to fight us tooth and nail for it. Pisces, Aquarius, and Gemini are a good start, but likely as not, they won't be enough."

"Okay… then we'll convene the full meeting as soon as possible," Usagi said firmly. "We can't let Duplicas get to the amulet first, either. What's the second thing?"

"Even with a large contingent of Senshi, we still have to address the problem of how to get out there in the first place. Maria can't transport us to a place without internet access, and last I checked, there weren't any readily available wi-fi points in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

"In other words," Nabiki said, "we're going to need a ship."

"Exactly."

"And who's going to rent out a ship to a bunch of teenagers in schoolgirl outfits?"

Setsuna grew pensive for a moment. "I think I might know of a ship. The captain and I have been acquaintances for quite a while. And what's more, the crew is better prepared than most to handle the likes of Duplicas. It might take me a while to get in touch, but if I can, I'm reasonably certain we'll have ourselves a ship."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow in mild skepticism. "Pray tell, does this ship have a name?"

Setsuna nodded. "It's name is… The Flying Dutchman!"

"The Flying Dutchman," Nabiki stated flatly, as if to make certain that Setsuna had spoken correctly. "As in, the legendary ship captained by Davy Jones, the devil of the seas—_that_ Flying Dutchman?"

"Well, that's not precisely true."

Nabiki let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. I was beginning to think things were _really_ starting to get weird."

"You see," Setsuna continued, "it isn't really accurate to say that the Flying Dutchman is Davy Jones' ship; rather, it _was_ his ship."

"Hang on," Nabiki said in a disbelieving tone. "Davy Jones was a real person?"

"Well, he'd lost most of his humanity by the time he was killed in the mid-eighteenth century, but yes, he did exist. It was his responsibility to guide those lost at sea to the afterlife, but for various reasons which I'd really rather not get into at the moment, he refused to perform this service, and as punishment, he was transformed into a monster."

"I don't remember reading anything about that in the legends."

"Oh, you probably have heard of his nonhuman form as well—he's also the origin of the legend of Cthulhu as well. You see, his face was basically turned into an octopus."

"You mean he became a tentacle monster?" Usagi was looking slightly green at the thought. The Senshi had indeed fought tentacle monsters in the past, but fortunately they'd managed to defeat these foes before any of their stereotypical proclivities could manifest themselves.

"Only in the sense that he was a monster who happened to have tentacles. But I digress. In any case, the Flying Dutchman still exists, but its captain is someone else entirely."

"So why do they still call the bottom of the ocean 'Davy Jones' Locker'?" Nabiki asked.

It was a question that Setsuna herself had asked Jones' replacement, and so she elected to repeat his answer verbatim: "Because 'Will Turner's Locker' just doesn't have the same ring to it."

"That's it?"

"Well, there's a bit more to it than that. The phrase 'Davy Jones' Locker' implies something ominous about the sea, but Captain Turner, while he can be intimidating when he wants to, is too good-natured to really be ominous. Unlike Jones, he's actually a decent human being, in both the moral and biological senses of the phrase. In fact, the only thing that separates him from the rest of humanity is his immortality."

"So, he's like you?" Usagi asked.

"I suppose you could see things that way, but its not quite the same. You see, while it's true that, like me, he doesn't age and is immune from most diseases, his immortality, while still limited, is far more extensive than mine. I can still be killed in battle as a result of injuries; he can't."

"Is there any way he can die?"

"Just one, and it's the same way he killed Jones: by stabbing him in the heart."

At this point the kunoichi's face took on a rather puzzled expression. "But… wouldn't that be easy to do in battle?" It wasn't _that_ difficult to stab someone in the heart if you had a basic knowledge of human anatomy.

"No, Konatsu, it wouldn't. Not in his case. You see, when he became captain of the Dutchman, his still-beating heart was carved out of his torso and placed in a small wooden chest, which he then gave to his beloved for safekeeping."

"That sounds… gruesome," Usagi said uncertainly.

Setsuna had to admit this point. "It does, doesn't it? Though, to be perfectly honest, the fault of that doesn't lie so much with the story as it does the storyteller. When Will tells it, it comes off as incredibly romantic."

"Really?" Usagi didn't seem quite ready to believe that something as gory as having a still-functioning organ removed from one's body could qualify as "romantic." Not by her definition of the word, at least.

"Oh, yeah. He really plays up the whole 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' part of it."

It was Ranma's turn to express confusion. "Huh? Whaddya mean by that?"

"I'd think that obvious, what with him only being allowed to set foot on land one day every ten years."

"Wha— where did this come from?"

"Didn't I mention it earlier?"

"No."

"Ah. Well, there you go. I'm always forgetting important details like that when I try to tell the story."

"Look, can we focus on the task at hand?" Nabiki said. "Right now, we've got a lot of things to take care of: we need to let all of the Senshi know about the latest developments; we need to try to schedule a meeting in the near future with as many Senshi as possible to discuss _how_ we're going to handle these developments; and Setsuna needs to get in touch with this Will Turner guy to see if he'll even be willing to go along with all of this."

"That… sounds like quite a bit," Konatsu said.

"Of course it does. It's more than that, in fact: it's a whole hell of a lot. And the sooner we get started, the better."

"Right," Usagi said with a nod as she allowed her innate leadership skills to come forth once again. "We'll start by telling everyone about Konatsu. You three can handle Nerima. I'll let the Planetary Senshi know, and then Ami can get in touch with Maria and Jade. What about Kagome?"

"I'll take care of that," Setsuna said. "I'll just pop in on my past self and have her relay the message."

"Are you sure that won't cause some sort of paradox?" Nabiki asked.

"Trust me, I have ways of making sure nothing like that happens."

"Such as…"

Setsuna sighed. "All right, I'll tell you. Basically, I erase portions of my own memory at regular intervals in order to prevent sensitive bits of foreknowledge from causing problems."

Usagi looked shocked. "You… you would actually do that?"

"I do it all the time, Usagi," Setsuna replied matter-of-factly. "Heck, I just finished mind wipe when you guys arrived here."

"What did you erase?"

"I don't know; I've forgotten—which is a good thing, seeing as how that's the entire point of giving oneself magically-induced amnesia in the first place."

"But what if you erase something important?"

"It's not like I do it unsupervised. There's always a future version of myself there to make sure I'm doing things right."

"But what if your future self became corrupted and tried to trick you?"

"That won't happen."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know you won't let it happen, Usagi, and that's that." Setsuna rose from her chair. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find the Dutchman, which isn't the easiest task to accomplish in the first place." She then transformed into Pluto and winked herself away.

"We've got a lot of work ahead of us, don't we?" Ranma asked rhetorically.

"That we do," Nabiki confirmed. "Let's get started."

* * *

There are many things in this world that are difficult to find, even when one has supernatural resources to assist in the search. Of these the Flying Dutchman is arguably the most difficult to find, partially because it was mobile, but mostly because most of those who looked for it did so in the hope of _not_ finding it, mainly because they were unaware that the vessel had been under new management since the eighteenth century. Sadly, Davy Jones' reputation for ruthlessness continued to strike fear into the hearts of sailors, which was ironic; even though his successor had a history of piracy, he was hardly ruthless, and only employed fear in his operations when it was absolutely necessary.

Still, this good nature didn't place the Dutchman's captain above a little jocularity now and then, as Sailor Pluto discovered (much to her ire) when she attempted to teleport directly onto the ship. "Well, now this is a pleasant surprise."

Pluto glared up at the jovial young man leaning over the edge of the large wooden vessel. "Very funny, Will Turner. Now will you help me out of here? I don't particularly like treading water."

"Why not teleport onto the ship?"

"Because if I do, you'll just move the Dutchman out of the way _again_."

"Why, Pluto, whatever do you mean?" replied the sailor, with a sweetly-sick look of innocence on his face. "I most certainly didn't sense your arrival through the ether and have my crew let out the sails just in time for you to miss the stern by only a few feet. That would be utterly rude." With his blatant sarcasm out of the way, Will resumed the smirk he'd been wearing ever since Sailor Pluto (he managed to stifle a chuckle at the thought of calling a woman in _that_ getup a "sailor") had splashed down behind his ship. "Besides, I'm not clever enough to pull off something like that. At least not twice."

"Fine," Pluto replied. "I'm coming up, but there had better be a deck underneath me when I get there."

* * *

Naru looked around at the isolated section of the park near her home. She was supposed to meet the new Senshi here so she could get some tips on how to effectively use her doubling ability. Of course, she didn't know all that much about Konatsu to begin with, other than the fact that a) he really was male and b) he was one of the best martial artists in the world, at least in Ranma's opinion. And considering that he could apparently do through the martial arts what she could only do through her innate magical abilities, she figured he _had_ to be good.

But she'd been waiting for fifteen minutes, and there still hadn't been any sign of him. "Are you certain you can't see him, Ranu?"

Naru's magical doppelganger looked down from her rather precarious perch in a nearby tree. "I'm positive. Are you certain you got the right time?"

"I'm pretty sure Ukyo said he'd be here at 3:30," Naru replied. "Maybe she meant 4:30."

"Well, I'd like to come down, if you don't mind. I've only got a few minutes left before I disappear again, and I'd like for some of them to be on the ground."

"Fine. I guess having you look around from up there isn't going to do much good considering that we don't even know what he looks like. I hope he gets here soon, though."

"Well, maybe he's preoccupied with ninja stuff," Ranu posited as she slid down the trunk.

"Like what?"

"Like observing what my potential student is already capable of," came a new voice from behind the pair, which came as such a surprise to the two redheads that Ranu blinked out of existence almost immediately.

Naru turned and saw a person wearing a traditional (though heavily patched and repaired) ninja outfit. This person also had a high ponytail that was tied in with a small red bow. It was quite cute actually—in fact, this person pulled it off so well that Naru still felt the need to ask a question to which she already knew the answer: "Are you Konatsu?"

The kunoichi bowed deeply. "Indeed I am, Naru-dono."

The redhead wasn't quite sure what to make of this; she didn't think her question was tactless enough to warrant a sarcastic honorific, but then, she supposed that having one's gender questioned constantly could eventually be grating on someone's nerves. "I'm sorry if my question was inconsiderate," she began.

Konatsu, however, merely looked confused. "Why should you apologize? Most people I meet are confused about my gender because I go out of my way to make sure they are. It's only natural that my identity be questioned when I first meet someone new."

"But you called me Naru-_dono_…."

"Ah, I see. You were informed that I generally referred to my betters using '-sama,' correct? A perfectly understandable misconception. You see, I reserve '-sama' for those who have direct authority over me, like Ukyo-sama and Usagi-sama. But as I do not wish to cheapen this honorific, I use '-dono' with others."

"So… you're not being sarcastic?"

"No… did I give that impression? If so, I apologize." Konatsu bowed once again.

Naru, if anything, was even more confused. She'd never met anyone who used "-dono" in a non-ironic way before. In the end, she decided to take the male kunoichi's words at face value. "It's alright, Konatsu. I was just a little surprised, I guess. But you don't have to treat me as though I'm superior to you."

Konatsu appeared perplexed at this: "But you are my superior—you are already a full Senshi, while I am not."

Naru mind was becoming more boggled by the second. She wasn't quite sure what an inferiority complex was, but she wouldn't be surprised to learn that Konatsu had one. Still, there were other things to do that afternoon, so she decided to try to negotiate a compromise. "Okay… I guess you can use '-dono' for now… but only until you become a Senshi yourself."

"But Naru-dono, even then, you will still have seniority, will you not?"

The redhead sighed and put her hand to her forehead. _This_… _could take a while._

* * *

Once Pluto was finally on board the Dutchman and had had a few minutes to let her seifuku dry out, she followed Will Turner to the Captain's Quarters to discuss the reason for her visit. "I'll get right to the point. One of my compatriots is in need of your assistance."

Will nodded sagely. "I see. So is it Mary or Anne this time? Or perhaps both?"

Pluto sighed as Will once again brought up the incident that had resulted in their first meeting. "Contrary to what you might expect, neither Uranus nor Neptune is in any trouble at the moment. None that I know of, at least." She couldn't exactly blame Turner for assuming that those two were the ones with problems—Haruka and Michiru had been quite a handful back when they were Mary Read and Anne Bonny, after all. "No, this is something else entirely. As you may know, there are eight Senshi who are named after planets."

"Really? Last I heard, Pluto had been demoted to a dwarf planet," Will said with a grin.

"I see you still keep up to date with the news on the mainland," Pluto managed to squeeze out through gritted teeth. "But to get back to my point, in addition to the eight Planetary Senshi—nine if you include Sailor Moon in the mix—there are twelve more named after the Signs of the Zodiac."

"But there are thirteen zodiacal constellations," Will responded. As a sailor from before the advent of GPS, Will Turner had a keen interest in astronomy.

"Only in the sidereal zodiac—not the tropical zodiac."

"Ah. So you want me to help these twelve, then?"

"No, just one." Setsuna briefly explained the Zodiac Amulets to Captain Turner, before focusing on the predicament of the one belonging to Sailor Aries. "We've been going around the world in an effort to acquire all the amulets that the Zodiac Senshi require in order to access their power, and our enemies have been dogging us every step of the way. However, there is now only one left: the Aries amulet, which grants its user power over Fortune itself."

"It already sounds like the proverbial double-edged sword to me."

"It is—the Aries amulet always takes as much as it gives, which is why I believe it ended up in the place where it is now."

"And that is?"

"The Marianas Trench."

Will froze for several seconds before letting out a long breath. "I can see why you desire my help, then."

Pluto nodded. "Do we have it?"

* * *

The first part of Konatsu's evaluation didn't take very long at all. "You really don't have any martial arts experience, do you?" asked the kunoichi standing over Naru's supine body. He hadn't even done anything to her that remotely resembled sparring—he'd simply wanted to test her balance, which he discovered was not much more impressive than the average human being, as evidenced by the fact that the redhead was now sprawled out on the ground, having fallen on her back after her feeble attempt at a kick.

"Not really," Naru admitted with a slight blush. Truthfully, she had occasionally shown interest in taking some classes at a dojo (particularly when she'd managed to survive a youma attack), but she just couldn't find the time in her schedule to devote to the discipline. Still, that was back when she was the one who always got rescued by the Sailor Senshi. Now, she was a Sailor Senshi herself, and that meant she'd be the one doing the saving from now on.

Konatsu tried to figure out where to proceed next. The most obvious possibility, at least at first glance, was to teach Naru his own Art, but he didn't particularly like that idea—not because he was selfish when it came to his martial arts knowledge, but because the only training exercises he knew for his Art were the ones his stepfamily used to teach him, and as such, nearly all of them involved near-continuous backbreaking labor for 16-hour shifts every day with no days off, and somehow he doubted that Naru had that sort of time on her hands. Still, that didn't mean he could assume Naru was totally helpless. "Well, what about when you're transformed?"

"Huh?"

"As I understand it, transforming into your Senshi form should give you a boost in strength and other physical attributes. Am I correct?"

"Um, well, actually, I, uh, don't know," Naru said with a note of mild embarrassment. "I haven't actually had the opportunity to transform yet."

Konatsu seemed surprised by this. "Really? I wouldn't have anticipated that…. Well, why don't you try it out right now, Naru-dono?"

"But… are you sure it's safe? Someone could be watching."

"It's as safe as it was when you made your double pop out of nowhere before."

"I suppose you have a point," Naru conceded as she pulled her amulet out from underneath her blouse and held it for a few moments. "Um, do you know how these things work?"

"Well, I've seen Ukyo-sama do it before. She held up her amulet and said 'Libra Zodiac Power, Make Up' or something similar, I believe."

"Oh, okay, so I just replace 'Libra' with 'Gemini,' then?"

"I suppose."

Naru nodded and gave it a shot. **"Gemini Zodiac Power, Make Up!"**

One light-show later, Sailor Gemini was standing there in full Senshi regalia (and a heavy blush due to the rather revealing transformation). Still the embarrassment was rather mild, as Konatsu seemed to be reacting in a mature enough manner to it, which was why she soon refocused her attention on another concern, namely, her skirt.

"It's grey! Out of all the colors in the world, why do I have to be stuck with grey?"

"I… I wouldn't call it 'grey,' Naru-dono," Konatsu said in an effort to reassure the redheaded Senshi. "It's more of a silver, I think."

"If it was silver, it would be shiny."

"It is shiny."

"It's not shiny enough to be silver. It's just an unusually shiny shade of grey."

"But that's what silver is: an unusually shiny shade of grey."

"Well, according to that logic, even if you are right about it being silver (which I doubt), it's still grey."

"No, it isn't. There's a huge difference between grey and shiny grey—I mean, silver."

Gemini didn't seem convinced. "Really? I still say my skirt's not shiny enough to be silver."

"And I say it's too shiny to be grey, so why not err on the more interesting side?"

"I have a better idea—we'll get an impartial third party to decide."

"Where?"

"Here." Gemini closed her eyes, and one second later, her doppelganger once again popped into existence, and not surprisingly, she too was in uniform.

"_This_ is your 'impartial third party'? With all due respect, Gemini, I don't think your double is going to be very impartial."

"You don't know that—I happen to think I'm very honest with myself. What do you think… umm… what am I supposed to call you when you're a Senshi?"

"I'm not certain," replied the double. "But I've got a gut feeling that when we're two Senshi instead of one, we're supposed to go by the names Sailor Castor and Sailor Pollux—you know, the two twins who make up Gemini."

"I… I think you're right," the original confirmed. "But which of us is which?"

"Well, you're the original one. You decide."

"Oh… okay. Well, since most people say 'Castor and Pollux' rather than 'Pollux and Castor,' I guess I should be the first one. Is that all right with you?"

"Sailor Castor, I _am_ you, remember? I don't have any free will to speak of, since you basically control everything I do subconsciously. If something's all right with you, I'm incapable of having a problem with it."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

Pollux laughed. "Don't worry about it. If I had a problem with not actually being a distinct individual, I would have mentioned it earlier."

"Oh. Okay," Castor replied. "Well, then what do you say about my skirt color? It's grey, right?"

"Actually… from this point of view, it _does_ look silver."

"What?! You're supposed to be me! How can you have a different opinion from me?"

"I can't. Why don't you take another look at it?"

"Oh, come on. Anyone can plainly see that it's…" Sailor Castor's voice trailed off as she once again glanced at her skirt. "Hey, it's silver! When did that happen?"

Sailor Pollux put her hand to her chin for a few moments before she came up with an idea. "I think it might have happened when we separated… take a look at _my_ fuku."

Castor did so, and immediately noticed that where her skirt's fabric had a distinctive luster to it, her counterpart's was far more drab.

"Now _that's_ what I call grey," Konatsu said in a definitive tone of voice.

"It is," agreed Sailor Castor. "What happened?"

"Well, my best guess is that your uniform as Sailor Gemini is a color halfway between your silver Sailor Castor fuku and your grey Sailor Pollux fuku," the kunoichi posited.

"It's as good an explanation as anything," said Pollux.

"Yes, well, do you suppose we can get back to the original reason you transformed?" Konatsu asked in the politest tone of voice he could muster.

"Sure," replied Sailor Castor. "Um, just one thing, though—"

"You did it to see how much your physical attributes have improved."

"Oh, right. Thanks, Pollux."

"No problem."

* * *

Sailor Pluto was beginning to grow somewhat irritated with Will's silence. "Captain Turner, can you give us the assistance we need or not?"

Will sighed. "Susannah—"

"Actually, I'm going by the name 'Setsuna' now. 'Susannah' is a bit too conspicuous of a name for someone who's trying to pass herself off as a Japanese native."

"I take it that neither is your real name, then?"

"Of course not. It's been millennia since anyone called me by my actual name."

"Really? Out of curiosity, what is it?"

"It's none of your business," Pluto said brusquely. "You still haven't answered my question."

Will sighed. "I'd like to help you Pluto—I really would. I'm just not sure I can."

"Why not?"

"Just think about it. How are you going to get them all on this boat?"

"That's simple. We can just use a Sailor Teleport to get here—assuming, of course, that you don't move your ship out of the way."

"Even the one who's not a Senshi yet?"

"Trust me, that won't be a problem."

"I'm not certain that there's room for all these extra passengers, though."

"Again, that won't be a problem, since we don't have to bring everyone. How many can you take?"

"Well, not much more than half a dozen."

"That will be fine."

"Well, then I suppose I don't have any problem getting you to the trench, then, but you'll have to figure out how to find this amulet of yours."

"That's not a problem."

"Very well, then. When were you planning on going after this bauble?"

"As soon as possible."

Will opened up his log and to check the Dutchman's schedule. "We'll be making a circuit of the Philippine Sea fairly soon—in fact, we'll be in the area around the Marianas around this time next week. I'm fairly certain we can divert some time to let you snoop around in the Trench."

"That's plenty of time."

"Good. Have your fellow heroines meet us here in seven days." Will scribbled out a set of coordinates on a piece of paper and handed them to Pluto.

"Thank you," Pluto said. "Now, if you'll pardon my abrupt exit, I must be going. We still need to do some planning."

"Take care, Pluto."

* * *

Setsuna looked over the crowd that had assembled at the Hikawa Shrine with a feeling of satisfaction. It hadn't been easy to coordinate the first meeting of all the Senshi, but she was convinced that the effort was well worth it. Getting the Planetary Senshi on board was no problem, as they held meetings fairly often to begin with. The Senshi from Nerima, Konatsu included, also didn't have much trouble taking time out of their schedules, nor did Naru, who seemed extremely eager to assume her new role with all possible speed. The difficulty came with the other three Senshi.

Of these, Maria had the easiest time getting here. She was something of a loner back in Italy, and therefore didn't have as many obligations as someone with a more active social life—at least, not in the real world: her obligations in the digital world were something else altogether. Still, Maria was quite ready to participate in this meeting, especially since she could circumvent the need for airfare to Tokyo simply by traveling there though the digital world, which was absolutely free.

Maria's inexpensive mode of travel was also instrumental in getting Jade to Japan from her home in San Francisco. While it was true that she already had extensive globetrotting experience from her travels with her uncle, Jackie could write off most of those trips as business expenses on his tax return, and he was too honest to even think of fudging the numbers by including a non-archeological trip on that list. Yet even Maria's offer to transport Jade to Tokyo wasn't enough; Jackie had told Jade in no uncertain terms that she needed to keep up her grades to participate in Senshi activities (emergencies excluded), and these were still rather dismal at the moment. It had taken a lot of cajoling on Setsuna's part to make an exception, but eventually Jackie caved (though this was in large part due to a suspicion that Jade would find her way to Tokyo whether he approved or not). However, he also insisted on coming along to supervise his niece, which Setsuna found to be a more than acceptable compromise. After all, there was a good chance that Jackie knew something about retrieving artifacts from deep underwater.

What turned out the be the most difficult, however, was Kagome. Much to Setsuna's consternation, the time traveler was, at the moment, very heavily engrossed in situation involving Naraku, a powerful demon and the bane practically every sentient being in feudal Japan. Apparently, Kagome and her band were hot on his trail, and understandably, she didn't want it to go cold as a result of her returning to the twenty-first century (although it would probably be more accurate to say that _Inuyasha_ didn't want the trail to go cold). Worse, Setsuna had been going through a "strict constructionist" phase during this time period, which meant that her past self insisted on following her prescribed duties to the letter—nothing more, and nothing less. That meant that intervention to resolve the situation was impossible: young Pluto was unwilling to do it, and Setsuna couldn't do it herself, since it was against her long-established policy to subvert the authority of past or future versions of herself when she was visiting another time period. Once again, however, she managed to find a solution: the major drawback to the Bone-Eater's Well was the fact that the flow of time was even on both sides: if Kagome went to the past, spent a day there, and came back, one day would have past in the present. What Setsuna proposed was to take Kagome back to the present through the Gates of Time, which would in turn mean that when she returned, they could do so at almost the exact time that she left. Of course, this didn't sit too well with young Pluto, either—but when Setsuna explained how important this meeting was for the future of Crystal Tokyo (with only the _barest_ hint of exaggeration), Pluto reluctantly agreed.

But there was a slight damper on this otherwise overwhelming success: Inuyasha, being Inuyasha, was not about to let Kagome go back to the present by herself. No, he insisted on coming along to ensure that she didn't get too distracted from her _real_ mission. Rather than deal with his bickering, Kagome and Setsuna both decided that it would be best to let the hanyou attend the meeting as well.

This, in turn, was what eventually resulted in the rather odd confrontation which was now taking place before the assembled mass of Senshi and allies:

"Quit doing that!"  
"Quit doing that!"

"I ain't doing nothing! You're the one doing it!"  
"I ain't doing nothing! You're the one doing it!"

"You want a piece of me?"  
"You want a piece of me?"

"Bring it on!"  
"Bring it on!"

Ranma and Inuyasha leaped towards each other, each intent on giving the other the thrashing he so obviously deserved, but the impending fight was canceled rather abruptly.

"**Sit, boy!"**

"Ranma no baka!"

"Ouch…"  
"Ouch…"

Kagome looked up from the two bodies lying on the ground to see Akane hefting her mallet onto her shoulder from where it had impacted on Ranma's cranium. "Nice timing."

"Thanks, but to tell the truth, I was seriously considering doing it anyway. That talking-in-unison thing was starting to get seriously creepy."

Setsuna decided to step in and start the meeting before the conversation could get any further—the actual truth about Ranma and Inuyasha, while fascinating, was also so potentially distracting that it threatened to overwhelm the actual purpose behind the gathering.

"Is everybody here? Good, then let's not waste any more time. I'm sure you're all wondering why I've asked you all to gather here today…."

* * *

It had to be the seediest bar in the entire Caribbean. Johnny's was not the type of drinking establishment that was frequented by tourists, catering instead to a crowd of native Jamaicans from Kingston's inner city. Margaritaville this was not. One patron, however, really stood out from the crowd—partially the result of his overall demeanor, which was decidedly eccentric, and partially because three-cornered hats made anybody stand out in this day and age. However, he was a fairly regular fixture at the bar; he usually kept his tab paid, and he generally didn't bother anyone who didn't bother him. Occasionally, when he was deep in his cups, he would rant about the golden age of piracy and how things had changed over the last 350 years (particularly lamenting the way Singapore had been devolved from a lovely hive of scum and villainy into its current Draconian state where you couldn't get even away with drawing graffiti in the bathroom), but most of the time he preferred to sit quietly in a corner of the establishment with his rum.

"I hear you're looking for something, Mr. Sparrow."

Jack glanced briefly up to discover where the voice had come from. Upon seeing that it originated from a rather beautiful woman, he immediately rose from his recumbent position, cocked his tri-corner hat to one side so as to maximize his rakish appeal, and flashed a subtle grin that allowed just a hint of his gold tooth to show. "That's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, love. Ordinarily, I'd get a bit peeved at having my well-earned title so carelessly tossed by the wayside but in your case I might be willing to be a tad more forgiving."

"I'm sorry, Captain. May I take a seat?"

Jack took a few moments to consider this request before removing his hat and motioning to the chair across from him with a flamboyant sweep of his hand and an exaggerated bow. "Be my guest."

"Thank you." The woman sat down. "I am correct, yes? That you are indeed looking for something?"

"Everybody's looking for something, love."

"And what if I told you I knew where you could find _your_ something?"

"You don't know, love. It isn't around any more."

"How would you know?"

"I have my own ways of knowing these things, my dear."

"Ah. I see. Then, might I suggest you take another look at your compass?"

Jack's eyebrows flew up at this suggestion. "How do you know about—"

The woman raised a hand to silence the buccaneer. "I, too, have my own ways of knowing things."

Jack eyed his companion suspiciously for a few moments before pulling out his compass. The needle which had refused to settle on a direction for decades now pointed straight at the woman across from him. "What do you want for the Pearl?" asked the pirate, his voice having suddenly acquired a raspy edge.

"I see you don't beat around the bush when it comes to the things you really want, Captain Sparrow."

"Answer my question. What do you want for the Black Pearl?"

"You're not the least bit curious as to how I came into possession of it?"

"I might be, but at the moment that bit of information is not nearly as important to me as the knowledge of how I can get my ship back."

"Well, aren't we single-minded?" the woman asked rhetorically.


	14. The Aries Amulet

After a thorough review of the situation, the Senshi finally began discussing what to do. "Okay," Usagi began, "Captain Turner says we can send six people… so who's going?"

"Well, to start with the obvious, Konatsu apparently has to go, or else we might not even have a chance of finding it," Setsuna said.

"Right… but that means we can send five Senshi in support. So, who's going to be the most helpful on a mission like this?"

"That's easy," Ranma said. "Shampoo can breathe underwater when she's Sailor Pisces, an' right now, the only thing we know for sure about the amulet is that it's underwater. If Naru comes, she can use her Gemini powers ta mimic Pisces, so that's two swimmers. An' I'm pretty sure I can use my powers ta protect Konatsu from the water pressure an' all that stuff."

"That sounds like a plan," Setsuna said. "Do either of you have a problem with it?"

"Why would Shampoo have problem spending more time with Airen?"

The Time Guardian studiously ignored the glares coming from Ranma's other fiancées by switching the conversation's focus to the other Senshi he mentioned. "What about you, Naru? Do you think you're up to it?"

"I… I think so," the redhead replied nervously. "I mean, I want to do whatever I can to help."

"Good—so, that's four. We can take two more."

Haruka responded to this in her typical lackadaisical manner: "We may as well draw straws. I mean, it sounds like Ranma's idea has covered all the bases. I don't see what else needs to be accounted for."

Ami had an answer for that. "Well, there's still the proverbial 800 pound gorilla to deal with: Duplicas. I don't think it would be out of line to assume that she's going to be a problem—if we get the Aries amulet, it means she's lost, after all."

Jade didn't seem to think this would be a problem. "So? We'll just send along some people to beat the everloving crap out of her. And, as I have superhuman strength, I think that makes me the most qualified Senshi for crap-out-of-beating."

"No, Jade."

"But Uncle Jackie…."

"Until your grades get better, you're not going to get involved with any of this unless it's absolutely necessary, and many of your comrades are far more skilled fighters than you are."

"Your uncle's right, Jade," Setsuna concurred, "and what's more, you don't have enough practice using your powers yet, which makes you a liability in close-quarters combat. The Flying Dutchman may be resilient, but I don't think Captain Turner is going to appreciate large holes in his ship."

"But considering how desperate that bitch is getting, she probably won't give a damn about tearing anybody to shreds," Inuyasha pointed out. "You're going to need somebody who can match her firepower—and it _ain't_ gonna be me or Kagome, because we're too busy."

"Inuyasha, could you _please_ stop talking for me?"

"What? It's true."

"Yes, but they don't need to hear that from _you_."

"Can we please stay on the subject at hand?" Nabiki asked in exasperation.

Fortunately, the next sentence silenced all debate rather quickly: "I'll go."

More than two dozen heads turned in response. "Are you sure about this, Usako?" asked Mamoru.

"You need someone powerful, right? I certainly qualify."

"But what about…"

Usagi didn't give her boyfriend a chance to finish his sentence, because she'd already guessed where his line of reasoning was headed. "Hotaru, do you think you'd be able to pull of one of your moves on a wooden ship without destroying it?"

"Maybe… I'm not certain, though."

"That's why Hotaru can't go. I'm almost as powerful as she is, but my moves are a lot safer for places where we can't risk too much damage."

Here, Setsuna interjected. "To be fair, the chance anyone has of permanently destroying the Flying Dutchman are microscopic; both ship and crew are protected with extremely strong magicks."

"But Konatsu isn't. Until he gets his amulet, I won't allow any unnecessary risks to his safety, and that means making sure the boat stays together. My mind's made up, Setsuna."

The Time Guardian knew this, of course. Usagi was acting more like Neo-Queen Serenity than her usual bubbly personality, which meant that her words were, for all practical purposes, a royal decree. "Yes, my Queen," Setsuna replied.

"Besides, I want to be there for Naru, too," the ponytailed blonde admitted sheepishly. "She is my best friend, after all."

"Thanks, Usagi," the redhead said.

"So, that leaves one more," Michiru said. "I'd consider volunteering myself for that slot, since my powers are specifically based on the ocean, but I really need to prepare for a performance. Though if I'm truly needed, I could try and reschedule it…"

"Oh, you don't have to trouble yourself on my account," Konatsu said. "You guys are already doing so much for me as it is."

"But we want to help you, Konatsu," Kasumi said, causing the kunoichi to blush. "Isn't there anyone else who could help out?"

As it turned out, most of the other Senshi had obligations in their civilian lives to take care of, and even though nearly everyone offered to reschedule, Konatsu's submissive humility would have none of that. It seemed that only Maria wouldn't have to forego any obligations to join the group, but the Italian Digidestined was wary of using her corrosive abilities on the Dutchman, reasoning that they were too dangerous. "Well, we don't _have_ to take six people," Makoto pointed out. "Maybe five will be enough."

"But Duplicas is probably going to be fighting like a banshee," Minako said, her voice so earnest that her mangled idiom went unnoticed. "Can we afford to only take five?"

"But who else is powerful enough to fend off Duplicas without risking damage to the Dutchman?"

The answer came from an unexpected place: "Perhaps I can help out there."

A whole room of heads suddenly turned towards a doorway, where a short brunette stood in a fuku and tiara. Several seconds of stunned silence passed before anyone responded. It was Akane who first found her voice again. "Azusa? What are you doing here?"

"I am here because this is supposed to be a gathering of the Senshi—and you really should refer to me as Capricorn, if only because Azusa is still having problems with multiple personalities."

"So… so you're her other personality, then?"

"Essentially. In case you're wondering, I don't harbor any resentment for not receiving an invitation to this meeting—communicating with Azusa is rather difficult, after all."

"But how did _you_ know about this meeting?"

"While it's true that Azusa couldn't put together your attempts to let her know about the situation, _I_ am a bit more receptive to new information. In any case, we should get back to the reason I spoke up: I believe I can help you with your close-quarter combat problem; my illusions should help distract anyone attempting to attack us without posing any unnecessary risks to the _real_ sailors on the ship."

"But Duplicas isn't human," Ukyo pointed out. "Won't she see through the illusions?"

"Unlikely. I wouldn't be much of a demon fighter if my powers didn't affect demons."

"Good point."

"Besides, she might not be alone," Capricorn added. "After all, she has shown a tendency to trick others into fighting her battles for her, as I'm all too painfully aware. Even if she's unaffected by my abilities, I should be able to handle her allies reasonably well."

"So, that settles it, then," Usagi said definitively. "Konatsu will go to the Marianas Trench on the Flying Dutchman to get his amulet, and Ranma, Shampoo, Naru and me, and… uh, Capricorn."

The Senshi in question smiled wistfully as her leader stumbled over what name to call her by. "Don't worry, Usagi. Over the next week, I intend to make sure Asuka knows about her situation."

"Are you sure you can do it?"

"Well, we _are_ the same person, after all."

"Right. So, I guess the six of us meet up here next week, then, and Setsuna will transport us to the ship."

"And the rest of us?" Nabiki asked.

"Stay on your guard," Setsuna advised. "If Duplicas doesn't get the Aries amulet, she might try to get one of us in a compromising situation."

"Huh?" asked Akane.

"Setsuna thinks Duplicas might try to catch one of us off guard to use as a bargaining chip of some sort," Nabiki explained. "Am I right?"

"More or less," the Time Guardian answered.

"Well, if that's it, then I guess this meeting's adjourned," Usagi said. "So… did anyone bring any snacks?"

* * *

There were many perks to being the guidance counselor at a high school, and Setsuna was more than willing to take advantage of every single one of them, whether they were for her personal gratification, or for reasons of more importance in the larger scheme of things. What was going on right now fell squarely in the latter category, as Setsuna (or rather, Sailor Pluto, since she was in uniform at the moment) was facilitating one of her compatriot's desires to get some practice with her powers at Juuban High's swimming pool.

Aquarius gasped for air as she clambered out of the pool. The three hours she'd spent experimenting with her powers had been reasonably productive: she'd found that she could indeed create an air bubble, and more importantly, that she could _maintain_ said air bubble for reasonably long periods of time. Of course, right now, that maintenance required her full concentration, which meant that when Duplicas attacked (by now she fully believed there would be no "if"), she would be depending on her fellow Senshi for her survival.

The prospect of giving up the self-reliance she so treasured, however, was a bit of a moot point at the moment, because she'd come across a much more pressing dilemma. She'd been sitting at the bottom of the pool in a bubble for a while, so she could get practice maintaining said bubble for as long as Konatsu needed it. But as she had just learned, there was a rather serious drawback to air bubbles: if a person stays inside one for too long, he or she will eventually run out of breathable air. Fortunately, Aquarius had noticed the carbon dioxide buildup before it could hurt her, but it was enough to break her concentration, and with it, the bubble (and in the resulting confusion, Aquarius had learned that her ability to control water did not translate into an ability to _breathe_ it).

Still, as she regained her composure by the poolside, Sailor Aquarius was more concerned with Konatsu than herself. "No way… can I give him… enough air… to last him long enough," she said between heaving breaths.

"Hmm…" Pluto thought to herself. "Perhaps your goal of perfect bathysphere was too ambitious—maybe you should just focus on making sure Konatsu can handle the water pressure. If he can survive the pressure, then regular diving equipment should be able to, as well."

"But how's he s'posed ta get 11 kilometers down with one tank? I mean, I ain't no diver, but changin' tanks underwater sounds real risky ta me."

"It is. But I'm sure it will be okay if you have to do that. And who's to say you won't come up with something else?"

"How can ya be so confident? I mean, Aries _is_ s'posed ta be unlucky, right?"

"Ranma, Aries is the Senshi of Fortune, not Misfortune, and while it's true that Konatsu's past self had huge misfortunes, there were times when she was incredibly lucky as well. Besides, Konatsu and the Aries amulet are meant for each other. If Fate is going to do anything, I'm sure it will be to help him out, if only for this particular task."

"If you say so."

* * *

Azusa Shiratori sat in her room, surrounded by all of her belongings. Ordinarily, this would translate into a feeling of contentment, since Azusa loved each and every one of her things so much, but today, it seemed that she couldn't shake the vague feeling of unease in her mind, as though there was something important that she should have been doing or getting ready for. She couldn't figure out what that something could be, though. She was pretty sure that it wasn't a Martial Arts Figure Skating match, because if that were true, Mikado would have called and berated her for missing practice. Besides, Figure Skating season didn't start for another six months—at least, that's what Danielle said (Danielle was her wall calendar).

Maybe it had something to do with those huge blocks of time that seemed to pass by without her memory—in fact, one had just happened that afternoon. That was kind of scary, actually. What exactly had she been doing? She hoped she wasn't in trouble. She didn't have many friends, so she didn't really have anyone to turn to. Sure, her things were nice, but they weren't the same….

"Azusa." The voice startled the figure skater out of her thoughts. She looked around nervously for the source.

"Who's there?"

"A friend."

"What?" she was still trying to figure out where the voice was coming from—and why it sounded so much like her own. "Where are you?" She didn't like strangers. Strangers always wanted to take her things away from her. Sure, she knew some martial arts, but in this part of Nerima, that was hardly uncommon. She didn't like the idea of having to fight someone stronger than her.

The voice responded in a reassuring tone: "Why don't you come over to the mirror?"

"What do you want with Guillaume?"

"Nothing… it's just that Guillaume can help me explain what's going on a little better than I can alone."

"Oh… okay…" Azusa carefully inched towards the full-length mirror in the corner of her room.

Capricorn sighed internally as Azusa looked at her reflection. As clichéd as this idea might have been, it was still her best shot at getting Azusa to cooperate. _Here goes nothing_….

* * *

Naru was exceedingly glad that her homework was light that week, because she found herself focusing much of her time on learning all things superhero. There was quite a lot to do; not only did she need to get a handle on her unique powers, but she also needed basic martial arts training as well. Fortunately, she was in a position where she could take care of both of these simultaneously.

"Are you really sure you can get me ready in time, Pisces?" Sailor Castor was currently taking a crash course in the Amazon fighting style, and while she was glad that Pisces thought she had potential, that didn't stop her from feeling a bit overwhelmed by the task in front of her.

"No worry. You not have to be expert martial artist yet. Have extra strength and agility from Senshi form, after all. Just need to learn how to use them."

"If you say so," Castor said as she returned to her practicing. It wasn't really that difficult, actually, but she definitely had something else on her mind. "Are you certain Pollux is alright? She's been down there for a while now." She glanced over at the small pond next to where they were practicing.

"No worry—she double Pisces now," the Amazon replied, having recently managed to get in the habit of referring to herself by her alias while in uniform. "She need practice breathing underwater. Not come naturally to most."

"I know," Castor replied as she went through a series of kicks. "It's just that I'd like to make sure she's okay."

"No problem," came a voice from the lake. The pair turned to see another lavender-haired Senshi rising from the water. She looked exactly like Pisces, right down to the distinctive Amazon haircut, with the exception of her skirt—while it was definitely a shade of lavender, it was also noticeably muted when compared with the original (though the contrast wasn't quite as extreme as the silver and gray of Castor and Pollux). Her voiced also sounded exactly like the Amazon, but it was unlikely that anyone would recognize it: "I'm fine, Castor. Trust me, I'm just as good at breathing underwater as she is. It's the nature of your powers."

Her mind now fully distracted, Castor stopped her activity and turned to her counterpart. "Hey, Pollux, if we're the same person, how do you know more about our powers than I do?"

"I don't know anything you don't know, Castor."

"That's not true. If I knew everything you do, I wouldn't have gotten worried about you."

Pollux laughed amiably as she shifted back to her usual redheaded form. "There's actually a simple explanation for that. You see, I'm controlled by your subconscious."

"Yeah, I get that, I think…"

"Well, it follows that I have access to everything that you know subconsciously, as well as the things you know consciously. That's how I know so much about what we can do—you've always known everything you need to know about being Sailor Gemini. I just know everything you don't know you know."

"Oh… okay, I guess. But… maybe you should be the one in charge, since you seem to know more."

"Can't."

"Why not?"

"No free will, remember? Technically, you're the only one of us who has a soul. I'm more like a golem than a normal human being."

"You don't have a soul?" Castor didn't seem willing to believe it.

"Well, that's a little extreme, I guess. I mean, it's probably more accurate to say that I _do_ have a soul, but it's _your_ soul. Anyway, you're always going to be the one who makes the decisions. That's why I came out of the water, actually. You really wanted to talk to me, so I didn't really have any choice but to come out here."

"Oh… that's… kind of disturbing, actually." Castor wasn't sure that she wanted to be totally responsible for someone else's actions.

"Excuse me?" Pisces interjected. "Castor and Pollux take up conversation later, please. Training now."

"Oh, right," Castor replied. "Sorry, Pisces. Um…" She looked over at her double.

"Yes, I can do the training for you—but in return, you'd better be the one doubling Pisces."

"I can do that?"

The double nodded. "Yes. Just concentrate on being the double instead of creating the double."

"Oh… okay. She closed her eyes and proceeded to repeat the name of her signature move: **Gemini Double Pisces!**"

* * *

"So… so you're me?" Azusa wasn't sure if she was ready to completely trust the reflection in her mirror, though this "Capricorn" person seemed nice enough.

"Yes. Do you remember meeting the Senshi?"

"I… I think so… but I can't remember what was going on."

"Well, somebody had tricked you into doing some very bad things for them, and the Senshi felt that they had to get involved."

"What? Why?"

"Because they were getting blamed for the bad things you were doing."

"They were?"

"Yes. So they came to you to find out what was wrong, and they saw the person that tricked you. She was a very bad person. She was pretending to be your grandmother, in fact."

"But… but Grandma's dead. She died five years ago."

"I know. But this person was very convincing."

Azusa nodded; all of this information seemed vaguely familiar to her, though she was really fuzzy on the details. "Oh. Okay. Was I in trouble?"

"A little bit, but when the Senshi saw that someone else had tricked you, they forgave you, and went after her."

"Did they win?"

"Yes, but in the process, they had to fix your mind, because it was messed up a little. That's why I'm here."

"Oh. Um… I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Why were the Senshi getting blamed for things I did?"

"Because you were dressed like a Senshi."

"Why was I dressed like one?"

"Because you are one."

"I… I am?!"

"Yes. You are Sailor Capricorn, with the power to create massive illusions to confound your enemies. You were using your powers to steal a lot of things that were very important to other people, and some folks got hurt as a result."

"Oh no!" Azusa didn't see what the problem with stealing was, but hurting people was generally not a good thing. "They're not mad at me, are they?"

"Far from it. In fact, they want your help."

"They do? How?"

* * *

"Are you okay, Konatsu?"

The kunoichi looked over his shoulder to see his employer staring at him with a somewhat concerned look on her face. "I'm fine, Ukyo-sama. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that you've been sitting outside here for nearly two hours, and as far as I can tell, all you've done is stare at the skyline." Not that that was anything particularly disturbing—like many major urban hubs, Tokyo's skyline was quite picturesque, particularly at night.

"I'm sorry; was there something you wanted me to do?"

"No, it's not anything like that; it's just… this doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd normally do, at least not for two hours at a time."

"Oh. Well, to be honest, I was… thinking."

"Thinking?"

"About the new situation I'm in."

"Oh, right. Of course: Aries. How could I have forgotten?" Apparently, the chef had already fully accepted her kunoichi as a Senshi on a subconscious level, and as a result, it didn't occur to her that Konatsu might need more time to fully transition into his new role.

"Are you worried about getting your amulet?"

"A little bit, yeah. I mean, I never thought that I would one day have a reason to go to the bottom of the ocean. How on earth do I prepare for something like that?"

"I… I really don't know," Ukyo said in a somewhat deflated tone. "Have you tried talking to Ranchan about what you're going to be doing underwater?"

"Yeah… he said he ran into some unexpected kinks, and asked me if I knew how to use SCUBA gear."

"Do you?"

"Well, sort of—my stepfamily made me learn so I could retrieve some jewelry that they dropped while at the beach. It was right in the middle of a huge kelp bed, too—it took me forever to find all the pieces, and when I did, they punished me for wasting time diving when I could have been cleaning the tea house."

"But they told you to do it."

"Yes, but they expected me to do the job quickly."

Ukyo paused as this information sank in. "Have I ever mentioned how evil your relatives are?"

"Multiple times, Ukyo-sama."

* * *

Surprisingly, Captain Jack Sparrow did not look all that out of place as he strolled through the large shipyard in Panama City. This was mostly because he had decided to forgo wearing his usual effects for this second meeting between himself and his new associate. The sad fact was that fashion trends had long since passed him by, and his preferred eighteenth-century garb now had an annoying tendency to bring him all sorts of unwanted attention whenever he wore it around those unfamiliar with his eccentricities. He still had his effects with him, of course—he'd just stowed them in his luggage for the plane trip down here, that's all.

Instead, Jack walked towards a small building wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and red canvas sneakers, all topped off with his well-worn bandanna. Combined with his backpack, his look just screamed "tourist," except that most tourists tended to look a lot less shabby and have far fewer hair ornaments. The beard was a little strange too, come to think of it, but not terribly so. It seemed that most of the looks he was getting came from sailors and dockworkers who could hardly fathom why a tourist would even want to walk through a shipyard.

Still, when he reached his destination, he was glad to find that it was air conditioned. "Ah, the joys of industrialization," he said to himself in a tone that was equal parts sincerity and sarcasm. He didn't really have any need for artificial cooling systems: after centuries in the tropics, he was more than well acclimatized to heat. But he had to admit that it felt quite good to go from a humid 90° F to a comfortably dry 70°. Jack walked up to an appointment desk to speak with the secretary.

"Excuse me?" he asked in his fluent Spanish. "I'm here for an appointment."

"Ah, Mr. Sparrow. You're expected. Go right down the hall."

"Actually, it's Capt—oh, never mind." _I have __**really**__ got to get my ship back,_ he thought to himself as he walked down the hall. He stopped at the door the woman had pointed out and knocked.

"Come in, Captain Sparrow."

"Now that's more like it." He pushed the door open and entered.

The woman he'd met at Johnny's was sitting there, looking just as beautiful as she had before, which was a good thing, as it meant that Jack wouldn't have to get drunk just to tolerate her sight (not that he planned on _avoiding_ alcohol at any point in the near future, mind you). "Have a seat, Captain Sparrow."

The pirate flashed a toothy grin as he took her up on the offer. "Don't mind if I do, love. And call me Jack, Ms…."

"Duplicas."

"Duplicas. Right. Sorry about that, I'd forgotten. Now, is that your Christian name, or family name."

"My name," the woman repeated with a slight hint of irritation, "is Duplicas."

_Hmm. Must've touched a nerve there._ "So, only one name, then."

"You have a problem with that?"

"No, no. It's nothing at all." Truth be told, Jack had a rather… _interesting_ history when it came to single-moniker women, but he was willing to ignore that for a chance to regain the Black Pearl.

"Good. How was the flight from Kingston?"

"Had a bit of a problem getting some of my effects through customs when I changed flights but fortunately I was able to convince the authorities that they were just replicas thanks to my famously winning personality." Being reasonably well-off had its advantages, and Jack Sparrow had yet to meet a customs agent he couldn't bribe.

"Good, good… and the compass?"

"Safe and sound, love."

"And is it working?"

"Naturally."

"Ah, and where exactly is it pointing?"

"You'll find that out once we start this little expedition of yours."

"I see… then we'd better not waste any more time than necessary. I have procured a recovery vessel for our use—several of its features should be of great assistance in recovering my item from the ocean floor."

"And what if it's on land?"

"Believe me, if it was on land, I'd have already found it." The look of irritation on Duplicas' face suggested a fair amount of intense frustration, and Jack didn't feel any need to question this.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it."

"Good. Are there any further questions?"

"Just one: how do I know you can actually give me the Pearl?"

"If I couldn't, wouldn't that mean that your compass wouldn't work properly?"

"Point."

* * *

Perhaps the biggest surprise that Jackie Chan faced when he returned from Tokyo with his niece was the fact that Jade apparently _didn't_ intend to follow her fellow Senshi onto the Flying Dutchman. Of course, the fact that Jade had accepted this particular fact of reality didn't keep her from being, well, Jade.

"Where is it?! I've got to find it!"

Jackie opened the door to Jade's room to see a completely disheveled sight before him: a place for everything but not a thing in its place, papers strewn about over every flat surface, with more being tossed around as Jade engaged in a frantic search. "What's wrong, Jade? Are you missing something?"

"Of course I'm missing something! Why would I be searching for it if it wasn't missing?"

"What is it?"

"It's the key to solving the mystery."

"What are you talking about? What mystery?"

"From Canada! Don't you remember? That minotaur, or whatever it was, had El Toro Fuerte's voice! For all we know, it _was_ El Toro Fuerte! He could be in trouble! Heck, the fate of the world could be at stake!"

"You're only just realizing this now?" Jackie said in mild confusion. "Of course he could be in trouble. But there really isn't much we can do right now, so there's no point in panicking."

"But there _is_," Jade replied. "I only just realized it now. There's one person who would definitely know if something happened to El Toro."

"You mean…"

"Paco! If we can get in touch with _him_, maybe then we can find out what's going on! I'm sure I wrote down his address or his phone number somewhere."

"So that's why you've turned your room inside-out? To find the piece of paper."

"What? No, I just thought of getting in touch with Paco five minutes ago."

"Then why does your room look like a tornado went through it?"

"Um… localized tropical depression?"

"Jade, did you ever clean your room like you said you would?"

"Not really… but I promise, I'll get on it as soon as I get in touch with Paco."

"How about you do it now?"

"Are you crazy? If El Toro's in trouble, then Paco might be, too! This is no time to sit on our butts!"

"But why are you so determined to get this done _now_? Surely one more hour won't hurt anything."

"Uh, hello? I'm a superhero now. I should have been on this back when I first got my powers. I mean, saving people is what I'm supposed to do, right?"

Jackie sighed. "You know what? I can't argue with that."

"Really?" Jade said in surprise before quickly regaining her composure. "I mean, of course you can't."

"A superhero needs priorities, after all."

"Exactly!"

"You need to find that information as soon as possible."

"Right!"

"Which means you'll have to conduct an exhaustive search of your room."

"Um, right."

"And fortunately for you, I know a surefire way to make any room easier to search."

"Oh, really? Uh, what is it?"

"Clean it."

Jade slapped her hand to her forehead—she really should have seen that one coming. Especially since it was true.

* * *

Duplicas would have preferred to simply take Sparrow's compass from him, but pulling that kind of stunt would have meant that Sparrow would become a thorn in her side within a matter of seconds, and unfortunately, history had shown that it was rather difficult to eradicate the buccaneer through normal means. Still, she was reasonably sure she had the situation under control: Jack Sparrow was, in reality, the only human on the vessel that was currently moving through the waters of the Pacific ocean; with the exception of a few specialized technicians most of the crew were merely more of Duplicas' apparitions. Really, the only reason she had a boat at all was because the compass didn't lend itself well to teleportation (well, that and teleportation would probably raise Jack's suspicions—not a good thing, if his reputation was any indicator).

But Duplicas was quite happy with the vessel she'd found. It was ideal for recovering underwater objects, particularly when augmented with magic. However, within days of setting sail from Panama City, she soon realized that she'd made a slight oversight with regards to the paint job, as it recalled to mind a particularly well-known bit of pop culture.

"We all live in our yellow submarine! Yellow submarine! Yellow submarine!"

The fact that Jack was singing at all was bad enough, but after 157 renditions of "Yellow Submarine" (46 of which had been extended by the performer to fifteen minutes or more), Duplicas was nearing her breaking point. "Must you keep singing _that_ song?"

This caused Jack to go quiet (much to Duplicas' delight). Alas, this silence only lasted a few seconds before the pirate gave his reply: "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for—"

"Go back to 'Yellow Submarine,' please," Duplicas groaned.

Jack smiled, flashing his gold tooth. "In the town where I was born..."

"Where are the Blue Meanies when you really need them?"

* * *

One week had passed by quite quickly, and before any of the Senshi had a chance to register it, there was another gathering of the Planetary and Neriman Senshi in the home of Setsuna to send off the five Senshi (and one Senshi-to-be) to the Flying Dutchman in search of the Aries amulet. The actual departure was pretty uneventful, though it did take a while to convince Azusa that Marcel and Daphne (her roller skates) would not be very useful on the deck of a ship on the high seas—it actually took some direct intervention on the part of her alter ego, Capricorn to convince her to leave them behind. But other than that, there weren't any hiccups, and the six were soon on their merry way.

Naturally, after this, the other began to disperse, and soon enough, Hotaru found herself alone in the building, working on homework while her Haruka and Michiru went out shopping. Of course, at the moment, said homework was about the slow buildup to World War I, and as interesting as all the subtle political nuances might have been in the early twentieth century, trying to learn about it after the fact was boring as hell.

Thus, Hotaru was actually quite grateful when the phone suddenly rang and provided a diversion. As it turned out, however, the diversion ended up being more extensive than she could have possibly imagined.

"Hello?"

"Hotaru? Is that you?"

"Jade?"

"Yup, it's me. Um, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No… it's about 9 o'clock here."

"Good—I was worried I'd mess up this whole time zone thing."

That comment caused Hotaru to come to a sudden realization: "Jade, does your uncle know that you're making an international call?" she asked.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Jackie won't need to know about it."

"But when his phone bill comes…"

"Not a problem. You see, I'm not making this call from my home."

"You're not?"

"Nope. I snuck into Section 13 and I'm using one of _their_ phones. But that doesn't matter—right now, we have world-saving to do."

"Jade, Usagi and the others have already left for the Flying Dutchman."

"So?"

"So, it's no use trying to tag along."

"We're not going to be tagging along—last I checked, the Marianas Trench was nowhere near Mexico."

"Mexico?!"

"Yep. We're gonna find out what happened to El Toro Fuerte, and why that demon had his voice, and that means visiting his #1 fan, Paco."

"And how do expect us to get there?"

"Maria's gonna take us."

"I see. So Maria's already agreed to be a part of this?"

"Um… well, not exactly. I haven't had the chance to tell her about this yet, 'cuz I don't know what her phone number is. But I'm sure she won't mind."

"Considering that she spends so much time in the Digital World, you're probably better off e-mailing her."

"But when I do get in touch with her, are you in?"

"I… I don't know. I really should ask Haruka-papa or Michiru-mama first…."

"Oh, come on. They're superheroes just like us. How can they _possibly_ object to us doing some superheroing?"

"I… I guess."

"Great! Say, do you know Chibi-Usa's number? I got a feeling she'll want in on this, too."

"Uh, I think so…."

* * *

"Welcome aboard the Flying Dutchman," Will Turner said as seven newcomers materialized on his deck. The coordination with Susannah (or whatever she was calling herself now) had been reasonably good; granted, the girls were a few feet to the right of where he'd intended them to be, but as long as no one was in the water, such details were unimportant. "I hope you found the welcome to be adequate."

"Uh, yeah," the ponytailed leader replied. "That was really… interesting…. Were those real tattoos on that guy's body?"

Will chuckled at the blonde girl's nervousness; tattoos still had a rather unsavory reputation in Japan, after all. "Don't worry about Queequeg. Susannah was the one who introduced him to me, actually."

"Susannah?" Naru asked in confusion.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot. She's going by a different name now, isn't she? Ah, it doesn't matter, she's still Pluto—I do wish she had stayed around a bit longer, though…"

The lone non-Senshi interrupted the captain's musings. "Um, Turner-sama?" Konatsu asked. "You were telling us about the tattooed man?"

"Ah, right. As I was saying, Queequeg's a good man—in fact, he's one of the few members of my crew who isn't trying to pay off a karmic burden. Really, the only reason he's here is because he's sorry for trying to kill off my familiar. Well, that and his little idol apparently told him to stay."

"Familiar?" asked Sailor Moon.

"You know, a magical animal?"

"Oh, right. I've got one of those. She's a talking cat. What's your animal, a parrot?"

"Actually, he's an albino sperm whale that that's twice as big as this ship."

This most certainly did _not_ fit the description of "magical animal" that Sailor Moon was used to: in her experience, such assistants tended to be cute, unobtrusive mascots. "Oh. Uh, does it talk?"

"Not really. Moby-Dick isn't really an advisor; rather, he is the most powerful weapon in my personal arsenal. The previous captain had an oversized kraken, for example."

"Uh, right…"

"So, the six of you need passage to the bottom of the ocean?"

"We know it won't be easy to get down there…." Sailor Moon began before she was interrupted.

"Oh, getting down there won't be a problem at all," Will explained. "You see, the Dutchman can go underwater."

The leader of the Senshi seemed to be caught off-guard by this quick solution. "Really? How?"

"Magic."

"Oh… right. But how will Pisces, Gemini and Konatsu get out?"

"Well, seeing as how I have full control of this ship's very architecture, I can easily create an airlock—though you'll have to provide your own air."

"That not problem," Pisces said. "Pisces breathe underwater."

"And anything she can do, I can do almost as well," Gemini added.

"I see. And what about you, Miss… Konatsu, was it?"

"Uh, well, my name _is_ Konatsu, but…"

"But what?"

"But Konatsu's actually a guy."

"What?!"

"Yep. Best damn cross-dresser I've ever seen, an' I've seen plenty," Aquarius said, causing the kunoichi to blush from her praise.

"I see… so, Konatsu, how do plan on surviving out there? Not only is there no air, but the pressure is tremendous."

"That's where I come in," Aquarius said. "I got the power ta manipulate water, so I can create a pretty strong bubble for him."

"You're certain you can do it at that depth?"

"Um… no. But I figure I can always just try it out on Pisces, since she'll survive if the bubble collapses. If that works, we'll let Konatsu out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We brought some SCUBA gear. If I can't keep a bubble full of air, I can at least keep the pressure down."

"And if _that_ doesn't work?"

"We cross that bridge when get there," Pisces said.

"Fair enough. Now, what are the rest of you going to be doing?"

"We're here in case Duplicas shows up," Capricorn answered.

"Duplicas?"

"Evil shape-changing demon lady," Pisces explained.

"Oh. Well, I've dealt with my fair share of those before, though I'll gladly accept any help you can offer. So I suppose that leaves us with one question: how exactly are you going to find it?"

"Do ya have a map?" Aquarius asked.

"I have enough maps to fill a dozen atlases."

"Well, then we're just gonna use that," the pigtailed Senshi said as she pointed to Konatsu's hand, which held a pendulum with a scorpion engraved on it.

"Ah. I see. Very well, let me get some maps of the area and we'll chart our course."

* * *

"Thanks for getting everyone here, Maria," Jade said as the rest of her party arrived at a computer terminal in Section 13.

The Italian Senshi brushed her hand through her hair as she responded, "Don't mention it. After all, it's going to be a few days before I can meet with the Japanese Digidestined, so I have time to kill. Still, was it necessary for us to meet you here? I had to do some serious hacking to bypass their security—I've never seen anything this tight."

Hotaru looked around the dimly lit office building with mild anxiety. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble?"

"Hey, I've never gotten anything more serious than a grounding for breaking in before. Why would they start now?"

"Is something wrong, Hotaru?" Chibi-Usa asked her best friend.

Hotaru glanced furtively around the dimly-lit state-of-the-art computer lab. "Nothing… it's just… does it have to be so dark in here?"

Jade shrugged. "Well, yeah, unless you want the security guys to know we're here."

"Oh… all right."

"Is something wrong?" Chibi-Usa asked.

"Well, it's just that this place… it reminds me of my father's lab."

"You father's lab?" Maria asked. "What do you mean?"

"It's…"

"It's a very long story," Chibi-Usa finished for her friend.

"Oh. Perhaps later, then."

"Perhaps," Hotaru confirmed halfheartedly.

"Doesn't matter," Jade said. "We're all here, and there's no turning back now."

"Actually, I could still refuse to take you all wherever it is that we're going," Maria corrected, "so we haven't really reached the point of no return."

"Look, must we argue semantics here?"

"So are we going?" Chibi-Usa asked.

"In a minute," Jade replied. "First, I need to take out my usual 'insurance policy.'"

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Hotaru asked rhetorically.

* * *

When the Senshi had first boarded the Flying Dutchman, they'd expected to see some unusual things (it _was_ supposed to be a magical ship, after all), but they'd never expected to see Captain Turner doing what he was doing at that moment: consulting a GPS device.

"Um, excuse me, Captain?" Gemini asked timidly.

"My crew refers to me as 'Captain.' Please, just call me Will."

"Uh, okay… Will. Um, why are you using that?"

Will gestured to the device in his hands. "You mean this? It lets me know my latitude and longitude. You see, there's this satellite that's orbiting the earth—"

"I don't think that's what she meant," Aquarius interrupted. "Why d'ya use that thing instead of some sorta magic?"

"Because this is just as reliable as any of my supernatural methods, and much easier."

"Oh."

"In any case, we're nearing our destination… it hasn't changed, has it Konatsu?"

"No, Turner-sama."

"Please, call me Will."

"If you wish, Will Turner-sama."

Will sighed before returning to the previous subject of conversation. "In any case, at least we know for certain that it isn't moving, which should make finding it much easier."

"Right," Moon said. "So, are we going down now?"

"Yes… but not the whole way."

"Why?"

"I want to test this water pressure plan of yours at a reasonably safe depth before we go all the way into the trench."

Aquarius seemed miffed at the notion that she might not have the situation under control. "Aw, c'mon, I know what I'm doin'."

"Be that as it may, as captain of this ship, I am responsible for the safety of my passengers, and I am going to have to insist that you demonstrate your competence at this task to my satisfaction."

"Arrgh…"

"Do as he says, Aquarius," Moon said, her voice once again taking on an air of authority. "There is nothing unreasonable about his demands."

"Fine. Let's get this over with."

* * *

Duplicas knew not how it had happened, but somehow, a miracle had occurred: Captain Jack Sparrow had decided to stop singing. Well, actually, she while she didn't _know_, per se, she did have a strong suspicion that the 2 empty bottles of rum that lay next to his unconscious body had something to do with it. But that didn't quite add up either; Jack Sparrow was renowned for his capacity for alcohol, and after centuries of practice, his liver was one of the most efficient to ever exist (at least, that was the explanation _Jack_ normally gave). In any case, while 2 bottles of rum would certainly make him more than a little tipsy, it shouldn't have been enough to cause him to pass out.

Not that any of that mattered to her. What was important was that she was enjoying the sound of silence (not to be confused with "The Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel, which Jack had chosen as an encore to "Yellow Submarine"), and it was wonderful. _At last,_ the shape-shifter thought to herself, _a chance to figure out what I'm going to do with those Senshi once I get the Aries amulet._ While getting the amulet was an important first step, it would be nothing more than a momentary obstacle in those do-gooders' path if more action was not taken. Fortunately, step two was just as easy to figure out: once the amulet had been claimed for Lady Zodiac, Aries herself had to be brought into the fold. Once Aries was firmly on their side (either through reason or brainwashing), the rest of the Zodiac Senshi could be taken back into their Lady's service, and then—

Duplicas was jolted out of her thoughts by an all-too-familiar voice from behind: "Excuse me, love…"

No, no, no, _no, __**no!!**_ Duplicas turned around to see her anachronistically dressed "navigator" flashing his gold tooth through his mischievous smirk. "I thought you'd passed out?"

The pirate chuckled good-naturedly. "Duplicas, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! It takes more than two bottles of rum to lay me out on the floor."

"Then what were you doing there?"

"Taking a brief trip to the Land of Nod, love."

"You decided to take a nap?"

"I believe that is what I said."

"On a diamond plate steel floor."

"Yes."

"But… that's… argh…" _I hate working with humans._ "What do you want?" she finally asked in resignation, half expecting to hear a rendition of "The Song That Doesn't End."

Mercifully, Captain Sparrow actually had useful information to give her. "You know how my compass has been pointing in that direction for several days?" he said as he pointed in the general direction of the bow.

"Yes?"

"Well, I just took a look at my compass, and it is now pointing in that direction," Jack answered, accompanying this with a swing of his arm that stopped when it pointed towards the stern.

"You mean we went past it?"

"Either that, or something moved it."

Duplicas' eyes went wide at this suggestion. She immediately started barking orders at her underlings: "Turn this oversized banana around _now_!"

* * *

As it turned out, when Captain Turner had said that he wanted tests done, he wanted them done thoroughly—he wasn't going to take the Flying Dutchman to the bottom of the Trench until he was certain that Konatsu would be safe. Thus, Aquarius found her water manipulation abilities put to the test again and again, each time at a progressively low depth. At the moment, the supernatural ship was about halfway down, which was more than enough water to block out any sunlight. Fortunately, Captain Turner seemed quite able to provide ample light from the Dutchman, and thus far, Aquarius' abilities were holding up surprisingly well, though she'd had to completely forgo the "air bubble" concept in favor of a simpler depressurized zone. At the moment, she and Sailor Gemini (who was doubling Pisces while the Amazonian Senshi was taking a break) were refining their technique, while the other three Senshi present observed the goings on below the deck. No one was quite certain where Konatsu was—the last time anyone had seen him, he'd said that he was going to take the opportunity practice his concealment techniques in a confined area. Given his skill, this basically meant that he wouldn't be making his presence known to anyone until he had to.

But Moon, Pisces and Capricorn seemed to find plenty of things to occupy their attention, most notably the unusual game that seemed to be taking place between three men nearby.

"Three threes."

"Four threes."

"Five fives."

"Six fives."

"Eight sixes."

"Liar!" At this, the three men lifted their cups to reveal a total of fifteen dice, after which the accused liar grinned broadly, taking a nearby pile of trinkets into his possession.

This had the Senshi feeling quite confused. "What are they playing?"

"The game has many names, but on this ship, it's just called 'dice.'"

The three Senshi turned around to see a blonde woman in her thirties (at least, that's how old she looked) dressed in the same type of eighteenth-century sailing garb that Captain Turner seemed to prefer. Sailor Moon was the first to respond. "Oh… uh, hello."

"How do you do?"

"I'm fine. Um, I haven't seen many other women on board."

"That's because I'm the only woman who's a regular crew member."

"Oh. Must be lonely."

"Not really. I keep very good company." The woman smiled to herself, as if enjoying her own joke, before suddenly refocusing her attention. "Where are my manners? My name is Elizabeth Turner, wife of William Turner and first mate of the Flying Dutchmen, and if you know what's good for you, you'll avoid using any obvious puns in conversation with me."

"Really?" If there was one thing Sailor Moon liked talking about, it was matrimony. "How long have you been together?"

"Oh, we were married right before he became captain of the Dutchman, so that would make it about 250 years."

The Senshi seemed impressed. "You've aged quite well," said Capricorn.

"I've only aged about twenty-five years since then, and that was only because I stayed on land to raise our son until he could take care of himself. Ironically enough, he became a swordsmith."

"Why is that ironic?"

"Because that was the station Will had accepted for himself before Jack came along."

"Jack?"

"Have you ever heard of Captain Jack Sparrow?"

Capricorn's demeanor briefly shifted to the naïve innocence of Azusa as she replied. "No… I don't think so."

"Consider yourself lucky."

Elizabeth didn't seem willing to explain this any further, so the subject of the conversation returned to its original topic. "Dice game look fun. Can Pisces play?"

"Of course," the amiable woman replied. "The rules are easy enough to learn. There's just one condition."

"Condition?"

"Yes. You see, while I'm sure you are a virtuous and morally upright young woman, the regular crew members might take offense if they learned that you had a potentially unfair advantage."

"What do you mean?" asked a somewhat confused Sailor Moon, who wasn't quite certain what the first mate was referring to.

"I mean that if she wants to participate, she needs to make certain that her invisible fish don't do anything to interfere, such as looking at other players' dice from over their shoulder."

"Aw, we wouldn't do that…" said a disappointed male voice, which was soon followed by the materialization of Pisces' connected twin fish, Fin and Fun.

The former of these two slapped her brother on the side of the head. "You mean _I_ wouldn't do that. _You'd_ do it any chance you got if you weren't tethered to me."

"But I _am_ tethered to you, which means that I never _get_ any chances to do that, which means that I never _will_…."

"Oh, my goodness…" Moon said. "I'd forgotten all about those two."

"Well, duh," Fun said. "There wouldn't be much point in being able to turn invisible if we couldn't keep quiet."

"Frankly, Pisces amazed he manage to go this long."

"Hey, I take my job as a cute talking mascot seriously, and I know how to be professional. I mean, who do you think I am, _Sting_?"

"Sometimes I wonder…" his sister said sarcastically.

"That not matter," the lavender-haired Senshi, stated unequivocally. "Dice game look fun, and Pisces want to play."

"As I said, you're welcome to join in—but first, what exactly do you have to wager?"

"Wager?"

"Yes. The house rules say that you have to be gambling something, or there's nothing to keep score with."

"What kind of bet you mean?"

"Well, it can be anything, really, though Will frowns quite greatly on the betting of nonmaterial items."

"Huh?"

"It means that you can't bet your time on this ship. Hello, dear," Will said, walking up behind his wife and playfully pecking her on the lips in a greeting. He then continued his explanation. "Most of those on this ship are here to atone for past misdeeds. Some call it purgatory, others call it karmic fire insurance for the next life. In any case, when they agree to join, we ink out a deal for a certain number of years, which varies from person to person. The point is that there's no point in trying to bet, say, ten years of your sentence, which would presumably be transferred to the loser of the game, because I won't acknowledge it."

"You seem pretty resolute about that," Capricorn commented.

"Let's just say it's an effort to distinguish myself from my predecessor. Davy Jones used to use this game to trick his crewmen, basically enslaving them for centuries—some for eternity, actually. A few of them who'd accepted this fate have actually declined my offers to release them from the Dutchman's service and are still on board."

"Well, it's not like Pisces could bet anything like that anyway," Moon observed. "So if they aren't betting years, what do they bet."

"Oh, odds and ends, various trinkets that they've collected over the years. Really, it's more for the sake of scorekeeping than material gain, though Queequeg had a very nice harpoon which is currently a much sought-after item amongst the crew. I think Quint has it right now."

"Quint?"

"American fellow, picked him up around 1975, I believe. He'd had a nasty run-in with a shark. A bit eccentric, but then, most of my crew are."

"Oh, I think I know who you're talking about," Capricorn said. "We were talking earlier. He said he hadn't had much contact with Japanese people since the last time he was in the area. I'm not sure what he meant…"

Will raised his eyes in confusion for a moment or two before realizing what the dusty seaman had meant. "Oh, that. He's referring to World War II."

This didn't clear up Capricorn's confusion. "He said he helped deliver a goodwill present from the United States."

"Did he mention that that particular gift was for the people of Hiroshima?"

It didn't take long for that bit of obliquely dark humor to be fully processed. "Oh," Capricorn replied as she adjusted the pleats of her miniskirt. "I guess you weren't kidding about karmic debt."

"I rarely do."

* * *

All in all, the tests had gone reasonably well—after the last deep-water test, Captain Turner was quite convinced that Konatsu would be alright in the Trench, provided that proper precautions were taken. The Flying Dutchman was currently on the surface once again, where Captain Turner intended to take one last reading with Scorpio's Pendulum. Once he was certain that they were directly over the amulet, they'd simply head straight down until they reached the bottom.

And it was indeed the bottom—it came to absolutely no one's surprise that the Aries amulet was sitting in the deepest part of the Marianas Trench. They were going to have to go all the way down to get there, and even for magical ships, that took time.

"Is everything ready?" his first mate asked him.

"Yes, Elizabeth. Have everyone get inside the ship's hull."

"Of course. By the way, you _did_ remember to tell our passengers about this, correct?"

"Why? They were the ones who wanted to do this."

"Not our special passengers, dear—I'm referring to our usual customers."

It took Will a while to figure out what his wife meant, but he soon realized she was referring to his day job. They currently had a family on board who'd been the victims of a tragic boating accident a few days earlier. "Oh… right. Yes, I've told them. The boy seems quite excited to see the bottom of the ocean, actually," he remarked with a smile. It always felt good when one could cheer up someone who'd gone through severe psychological trauma (like death).

"Good. I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget your duties—I like your face the way it is, thank you very much."

The two of them exchanged a brief kiss before breaking off to finish the preparations. "Prepare to descend!"

* * *

Duplicas was starting to grow agitated—she had never been the most patient demon in the Negaverse, and the… offbeat behavior of her human passenger wasn't helping things, either. "Damn it, Sparrow—"

"_Captain_ Sparrow," the pirate corrected as he moved about the sub's control room, looking over the shoulders of her (disguised) doubles and generally making a nuisance of himself, as he was wont to do whenever he traveled aboard a vessel not under his command.

Duplicas chose to ignore the interruption and continued: "When are we going to get there."

"Love, all I've got is a compass; and while I will grant you that it is a very special compass, it can still only perform those functions which are essential to compassness."

"Translation?"

"A compass can only tell you whether you're headed in the right direction. If you actually want to know where you're going… well, that takes some effort. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter where we go, as long as we get there."

"Well, _I'm_ a bit pressed for time, so if you would kindly check to make sure that we are still headed in the right direction…"

Jack complied, delicately taking the mystical compass from his pocket and opening the cover ever-so-slightly, taking special care to ensure that _he_ was the only one who view its reading. "Yes," he replied tersely, snapping the lid shut.

"Argh… couldn't you at least _try_ to be helpful?"

"I could… provided a certain condition be met."

"And that is…"

"Well, you see, although my current navigational skills are a trifle rusty I do believe that they could be polished to a brilliant sheen if you would be so kind as to inform me of exactly the means you expect to use to fulfill your part of our little bargain."

"Magic," Duplicas replied laconically.

"Love, I'm holding a compass that points towards whatever the bearer wants most. This implies two things: first, that you're going to need to be a bit more specific than 'magic' in your explanation because quite frankly I've had more contact with the supernatural than I care to remember, and second, that knowing how you'll fulfill your half of the deal will greatly increase the degree to which I will _want_ to fulfill my half."

"And why, pray tell, do you not think magic can restore the Black Pearl to you if you are willing to admit that it exists?"

"Because the last time I saw it, it had been obliterated by magic—not a sight for the ill of constitution."

"And you don't think magic can undo magic?"

"That would depend on the type of magic, my dear. Hence my desire to know how you plan to restore the Pearl."

"Let's just say that 'obliterated' might not be the correct term for what happened to your ship and leave it at that."

"I see…." Jack considered this for a moment or two, bringing his hand to his chin and flicking the two braids of his beard as he considered this bit of information. He then opened his compass again, only this time he turned it 90° so that it was vertical instead of horizontal. This time, when the compass came to rest, it was still pointing towards the front of the submarine, but at a downward angle. "Continue moving forward, descending as you do so, so that your angle of descent is 45°. When you reach the bottom, you'll find your trinket."

This caught Duplicas by surprise, as she'd never expected Captain Sparrow to be so forthcoming with information. "You're not trying to pull something, are you?"

"If I was, would you give me the _Pearl_ when all is said and done?"

"You have a point."

* * *

After days of sailing, and hours of descending, Duplicas' yellow submarine had finally arrived at the bottom of the ocean. She should have been relieved; instead, her crew could only give her more bad news.

"What? Someone's already there?!" Of course it was the Senshi—who else would have any reason to be down here? But still, they couldn't have gotten there without help, right?

"I'm not surprised," Jack said, his voice clearly tired. "The obnoxious have a tendency to do that sort of thing."

"You know who that is?"

"Well, I'm not certain, but that looks far too large to be a research vessel, which means that it's another magical ship."

"What the—how did you know this ship was magical?"

"Love, submarines like this one aren't built to withstand the pressures down here. That leads me to believe that either you have access to a large amount of very expensive technology that's not available on the common market, or you've reinforced it with magic. And nobody with the money for the technology would even consider painting a submarine yellow."

"It was painted when I got it."

"And you didn't repaint it because…"

"Why are we talking about this? You still haven't told me who the other ship is."

"I only have a suspicion…"

"Out with it!"

"Let's just say that there are certain people who've had a nasty habit of sticking their noses into my business over the years, and they're not likely to approve of this enterprise, savvy?"

Duplicas seethed for a few seconds before regaining her composure. "Well, it doesn't matter. Down here, it will be child's play to take the amulet. Kill the lights!" she ordered her crew.

"That won't be an easy task if that's who I think it is, love," Jack said, pausing as the lights blackened before being replaced by the dim red glow of the emergency lighting. He waited for a reply… which he didn't receive. The buccaneer looked around and found that his hostess had seemingly vanished from the bridge. "Duplicas? Now where did she get to?"

* * *

As it turned out, getting to the bottom of the ocean was actually the easy part for the Senshi. At the moment, Aquarius was inside the ship, using all of her concentration to prevent the kunoichi from being crushed by the depths, and the Senshi had also come with several powerful lights that could function even at the bottom of the ocean (courtesy of the Outers' seemingly endless bank accounts), as well as a strange magical glow from the ship itself. What no one had considered, though, was how bone-chillingly _cold_ it was down at the bottom of the ocean. Thus, even though there was enough air in the tanks for much longer periods of time, Konatsu could only venture out in five-minute spurts before returning to the Dutchman to warm up again. In the meantime, Pisces and Pollux (who was doubling her comrade at the time), kept looking, their Senshi powers protecting them from the cold and allowing limitless breathing time. However, it was still very slow going.

Still, it was only a matter of time before they found what they were looking for, and eventually, Konatsu caught a glint of light reflecting into the corner of his eyes. It wasn't much, but it was better than anything else they'd found thus far. Konatsu dug through the ancient silt, ignoring the bone-chilling temperatures as he cleared away the debris to reveal a brass-colored disc with a heavily stylized ram's head embossed upon it and thirteen diamonds arranged around its edge; it was attached to a golden chain large enough to fit over the head. He'd found the Aries amulet. Beneath his mask, the kunoichi allowed himself a smile; things were finally going his way.

Amulet and Senshi were reunited, and given their reputation, what happened next wasn't that surprising at all.

* * *

"He's got it—he's got the Amulet!" Sailor Castor shouted jubilantly as she picked up the telepathic transmission from her double.

"Great," Moon said. "Now all we have to do—" The leader of the Senshi and was cut off as the Dutchman suddenly lurched from a tremendous impact to its side, sending the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo headlong into the meditating form of Aquarius, whose attention was most decidedly jostled.

The implications of this were obvious, as Aquarius' comment demonstrated: "Oh shit—Konatsu!"

* * *

Aquarius immediately lowered the pressure around Konatsu once again, of course, but even a genius kunoichi couldn't possibly deal with such a sudden change in pressure without adverse effects. It was thirty agonizing seconds before Sailor Pollux managed to get an unconscious Konatsu back on board the ship, the amulet he'd dropped gripped tightly in her hand. As Elizabeth tended to the young man, Sailor Capricorn asked the obvious question: "What happened out there?"

"Duplicas," Castor's clone replied between labored breaths. "It's like she was everywhere out there."

Thanks to the circumstances, Aquarius managed to get past the incredible strangeness of hearing Pisces' voice without an accent rather quickly. "Of course—she's a shadow demon, an' there ain't no light down here that don't come out of a flashlight. Where's Pisces?"

"She said she'd cover me—she's still out there!"

* * *

Fighting underwater was difficult enough to begin with, and it was made even more complicated by massive amounts of pressure and almost total darkness. Pisces had lost her flashlight almost as soon as her struggle began, and was now trying to defend herself using only the dull glow from the Flying Dutchman. Sure, the fact that her powers were designed specifically for underwater use helped, but her opponent thrived in the shadows, and it was taking all of her skills to fend off the attacks, which were basically coming in spurts, as Duplicas attacked, drew back into the darkness, and attacked again from a different direction. Fortunately, she also had two extra pairs of eyes to help her keep abreast of her opponent's whereabouts.

"But I'm too young to die!"

Well, _one_ pair, anyway.

Fin slapped her twin brother on the side of his head. "Get a hold of yourself! Stop being a wimp and start acting like a professional!"

"But it's scary!"

"You knew the job was dangerous when you took it."

"Excuse me? I believe _you_ were the one who took it, and you dragged me along—Pisces, behind you!"

The Amazonian Senshi whirled around and attacked the darkness with her Spinning Fans attack, earning a distorted screech as a reward.

Without missing a beat, the twin fish resumed their argument. "Dragged you along?" Fin retorted indignantly. "You seemed plenty enthusiastic at the prospect of spending so much time with beautiful women in skintight leotards and miniskirts."

"Don't confuse the issue—on your left!" Fun shouted in time for Pisces to turn and fend off another attack. "We need to get back to the ship."

"We're going to need an opening first," Fin replied.

As Pisces repelled another attack, Fun made his assessment of the situation. "If we need an opening, we're going to have to make our own. Pisces! Head for the ship!"

The lavender-haired Senshi responded with a quick thumbs up before making an all-out dash for the Dutchman, her magical fish close behind her. She was less than five meters away from the makeshift airlock on the ship's deck when she was broadsided by an attack from Duplicas' still-indeterminate form. Somehow, the Amazon managed to regain her position and counterattack, leaving the shadow demon stunned long enough for her to make it inside.

* * *

As soon as Pisces was relatively safe, Captain Turner gave his next order: "Drop all ballast! We're heading to the surface _now_!"

The attack at the bottom of the Trench, while not particularly unexpected, was still a surprise to the Senshi and the crew of the Flying Dutchman. It wasn't until they resurfaced that something truly unexpected happened—absolutely nothing.

"Where are they?" Pisces asked as she stared out across the blue expanse.

"I'm not sure," Will replied, scanning the horizon. "Though they're probably still below the surface. After all, those creatures, or whatever they were, were underwater."

"They were Duplicas' doubles," Sailor Moon said definitively. "I'm sure of it."

"Doesn't this mean they could attack us from below?" Capricorn asked.

"It's possible... but the Dutchman is reasonably resilient, and besides, if they want that amulet, it's probably easier for them to try and board and take it by force than to sink the ship and find the amulet all over again."

"Speaking of Ninja Girl, how he doing?" Pisces then asked.

"Konatsu appears to be fine," Elizabeth said as she came up to the deck, "but he's still unconscious."

"Great," Aquarius said. "That means that Duplicas is gonna actually have another chance ta get it when she attacks next."

"Are you ready, Naru?" Sailor Moon quietly asked her best friend, who had once again coalesced into a single being.

"I think so," replied Sailor Gemini. "Though I'm still kind of scared..."

"Wanna know something?"

"What?"

"I get scared on the job all the time."

Gemini paused for a few seconds to process this. "Thanks, Usagi."

"No problem."

Minutes of agonizing silence passed, with only the sounds of the wind and the water. Finally, Will decided to give an order, as much to break up the quiet as to prepare for the expected attack. "Queequeg," he called to the Polynesian sailor, who strode over to his captain.

"Yes?"

"I have a special job for you." Will tossed a recently sharpened harpoon into the Islander's hands. "There may be violence. See that it doesn't reach our customers."

"We can defend ourselves," Aquarius protested.

"I was referring to the family we're ferrying to the afterlife."

"Oh."

Queequeg grunted his affirmation. "I guardee as my own kin."

Will smiled and grabbed his sailor's tattooed shoulder. "Good man."

"The crew's ready for a full assualt, Captain," Elizabeth said as she finished checking the preparations.

"Right. And I've got Moby-Dick in reserve in case things get really out of hand.

"So, why haven't they attacked yet?" asked a somewhat confused Gemini.

Elizabeth simply shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows what they're thinking?"

* * *

The yellow submarine was currently just below the surface, several hundred meters away from the wooden ship it had pursued up from the depths. "I know that ship," Jack said evenly as he looked through the periscope.

This certainly piqued Duplicas' interest. "Really? Who is it?"

Jack let out a slow breath, almost in resignation. "That, my dear, is the _Flying Dutchman_, the oceans' ferryboat to the next life."

"I take it that you've had some run-ins with her in the past?"

"You could say that... So, how exactly am I to get on board?"

"You will be staying on the submarine while _I_ attack the ship... with my crew," the demoness added as an afterthought.

This was clearly not part of Jack's plans, as the buccaneer's eyes suddenly widened in a mild panic. "No! Wait, no, no. I'm not so certain that you want to be doing that, love."

Duplicas rolled her eyes. "And what exactly is it that I don't want to do?"

"Attack the ship."

"On that matter, you are quite mistaken, Captain Sparrow."

"I'm only saying that it doesn't quite make sense to attack a ship when there are more... creative methods to achieve your ends."

"And I take it that you have a specific 'method' in mind?"

"Naturally. If would but allow me to board the _Dutchman_, I can use my connections with her captain to negotiate the delivery of your prize to you with a minimum of fuss."

"Connections?"

"Me and him, we have a history, savvy?"

"With all due respect, I don't think any amount of negotiation is going to gain you the amulet."

_Note to self: the trinket is some sort of amulet,_ Jack noted silently before responding, "I think you'll find my skills in that regard to be quite sufficient."

"Really? And what exactly to you plan to use to bargain in this negotiation?"

"I'm... actually not too sure about that yet—but it doesn't really matter that much when you really think about it."

Unfortunately for the pirate, Duplicas really thought about it before answering. "Actually, I'm pretty sure it does."

Jack sensed he was losing the argument, and as a result, began to really pour on the charm. "All right, I will grant you that it's generally not a good idea to come into a negotiation without sufficient leverage. But what I've learned over the years is that when you don't have leverage, you can _make_ it."

Duplicas raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Is that so?"

"Unless of course you're willing to risk having your amulet lost amidst all the chaos and insanity. Besides, winning a fight against the crew of the Flying Dutchman is a singularly difficult task."

The shapeshifter sighed. "You're sure about this."

"Never been more positive, love."

"Fine," she said, turning to her crew. "Equip Captain Sparrow with a Zodiac and we'll let him try to 'negotiate.'"


	15. You don't know Jack Sparrow

Author's Note:

Let's all thank fellow author Kwakerjak for continuing this story. From now on, the chapters will be shorter than before, but hey, let's not complain now, shall we?

* * *

Captain Turner stood on the deck of the _Flying Dutchman_, peering through his spyglass in an effort to locate the attack that he _knew_ was coming. Unfortunately, he first spied something which was (arguably) far worse. Will lowered his spyglass and rolled his eyes. "Not again…."

Not surprisingly, this attracted the attention of his spouse. "What is it, Will?" asked Elizabeth, to which Captain Turner responded by wordlessly handing over his spyglass.

It didn't take long for the _Dutchman_'s first mate to find the inflatable rubber dinghy moving rapidly towards the ship and identify its occupant. "You have got to be kidding me."

"What is it?" asked Sailor Moon.

"More like '_Who_ is it?'" Will explained. "And to our great misfortune, it appears to be Jack Sparrow."

Capricorn seemed to recognize the name. "Hey, isn't that the guy you were talking about earlier?" she asked Elizabeth. "The one I was lucky not to know?"

"That's the one. I wish I could say I was shocked to learn that he's wrapped up in this mess, but…"

"I take it he ain't one of the good guys?" Aquarius asked.

"Well, I've found that concepts like 'good' and 'bad' aren't very useful when describing people like Jack."

"So, he's not a friend of yours, then?" asked Sailor Moon.

"On the contrary, he's a very close friend of ours—has been for more than two centuries."

This did nothing to relieve the Senshi's confusion. "So, what's the problem?"

"The problem is that Jack has an annoying habit of stabbing his friends in the back and abandoning them when they're in dire straits."

"Though, to be fair, he is also quite forgiving when his friends do the same to him," Will added.

"Oh… well, that's good to—Wait! How do you know that he's so forgiving?"

"Experience." Will soon found himself stifling from underneath the disappointed glare of Sailor Moon. "What? Don't look at me like that—when you spend a significant amount of time around Jack Sparrow, you inevitably do things that are… less than savory. Trust me, it's usually a matter of survival."

"Excuse me," came a voice from over the side of the rail.

Will didn't even bother turning his head. "No, Jack," he called back.

"I haven't asked you for anything."

"And when you do, the answer will be 'no.'"

"Are you going to make me stay in this dinghy, then?"

"Yes."

"Ha! You lied."

This was enough to get Will to come to the side of his ship and make eye contact. "What are you talking about?"

"You said you were going to answer 'no' to my question, but you didn't. That makes you a liar and deceiver which is more than sufficient moral justification for some sort of mandatory reparations."

"What the heck did he just say?" Aquarius asked.

"He said I should let him on the ship," Will said. "I'm afraid I can't allow that, Jack. Some… associates of mine were recently attacked, and I'm not certain they'd be all that trusting."

"Oh, let me talk to them. I'm sure I can persuade them to trust me."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Come on…"

"Fine… ladies, would you mind talking to Jack?"

Within a few minutes, the five Senshi present had gathered at the port railing. Jack started out the conversation in a very graceful manner: "Ladies, I don't know who designed your school uniforms, but he probably needs to be reported to the authorities."

"No kiddin'," Aquarius said. "What do ya know about Duplicas?"

"Not much… I find that the less I know about my acquaintances, the easier it is to tolerate them. Why don't you let me on board, and you can explain some more?"

"No, I think I like ya better down there."

"Look, I'm all alone and outnumbered. Surely you won't need to worry about me."

"I don't know…" Capricorn said uncertainly. "It sounds like a trick."

"Of course it's a trick," Elizabeth replied. "Jack's involved."

"I hardly think my past actions have earned _that_ level of distrust," the buccaneer in question called out.

Elizabeth responded with a cold stare.

"All right, maybe they have, but consider this: have I ever done anything to or for you that hasn't _ultimately_ worked out in the end?"

"I hate it when he has a point," Elizabeth said to no one in particular.

"We may as well hear him out," Will finally said. "After all, chances are he's planning on double-crossing Duplicas."

"Instead of us?" Pisces asked.

"More like 'in addition to us,'" Will explained. "Somebody throw Captain Sparrow a rope."

* * *

The questioning began almost as soon as Jack's feet hit the deck. "Alright, Jack, what are you up to this time?"

Jack, however, did not seem interested in the usual 'back and forth' with the _Dutchman_'s captain. "Actually, I was hoping we could just dispense with the formalities of conversation and assume that I'd already bamboozled you into letting me do whatever I want. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be consistently witty and clever?"

"Well, look at that," Will replied sardonically. "A pithy remark about making pithy remarks. Your Oscar Wilde impression is coming along quite nicely."

"Careful, Will," Elizabeth pointed out quietly. "He's never tried anything like this before."

"Correction: I've never tried anything like this on _you_ before."

To call Jack's newfound transparency "disturbing" would be a serious understatement, but Will shrugged it off. "Alright, let us assume for the moment that we decide to agree with you. What exactly is it that you want?"

"Oh, please, William. How long have we known each other? Two, three centuries? You know exactly what I want: the _Black P_—"

"Let me rephrase that. What are you doing here?"

"Well, so far, I believe I've spent most of the last few minutes talking to you."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud," Aquarius said in exasperation. "The guy's obviously here ta get the amulet; why else would anyone be out here?"

Will rubbed his eyes in frustration. Aquarius had just blurted out a rather important bit of information; from his past experience, he knew that there was a reasonably good chance that Jack _didn't_ know what he was after—only that somebody else wanted it, which in turn meant he could potentially use it as leverage.

Not surprisingly, Jack pressed for more information. "Ooh, that sounds interesting. Care to tell me more?"

"Oh, come on. How can you not know that the Aries amulet—mmph!" Aquarius was suddenly stifled by her Amazonian comrade, who had covered her mouth with her hand and put her into a reasonably strong headlock.

"Not good idea to give information for free," Pisces advised. "Especially not to suspicious-looking used car salesman who need shower."

"I'm shocked and offended," Jack proclaimed with mild umbrage. "I've never sold an automobile in my life. But back to the matter at hand: what would you say if I told you that there was a way to avoid all the nastiness that will no doubt commence if—"

"They're coming!" Gemini shouted pointing towards a shadowy blotch on the water, moving towards the _Dutchman_ like an oil spill on amphetamines.

If Jack was startled by this turn of events, he didn't show it. "Already? Impatient one, isn't she?"

"This was all part of your plan, wasn't it?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Well, that rather depends on what you mean by the word 'plan.'"

"Oh, please," Aquarius said dismissively. "Either ya were stallin' for time, or she's totally screwed ya over. Which one is it?"

"Which of those makes me look like less of an idiot?"

The redheaded Senshi seemed taken aback by the question. "Uh, stallin' for time?"

"Right. We'll go with that one, then. For now, anyway."

"Ugh… we don't have time for this," Will said with a roll of his eyes. "Take Captain Sparrow to the brig—with any luck, we won't need to deal with him until _after_ his 'acquaintance' has been taken care of."


	16. Pirate vs Ninja!

Author's Note:

Surprise! Kwakerjak, the new writer of my old story 'Zodiac Senshi' has written a new chapter! And of course, I don't want to keep you guys here on from reading it, so I posted it right away.

So... enjoy!

* * *

As the door to his cell slammed shut, Jack Sparrow was not particularly worried - even less so when he saw that Will's crewmen weren't even going to leave anyone as a guard, presumably because they needed every hand they could to fight Duplicas. _So much the better, then._ Jack had, of course, had had situations work out well for him in the past, but this time, things appeared particularly auspicious. It was a simple matter, really. Thanks to the reactions he'd gotten from that pigtailed schoolgirl, he was absolutely certain that this "Aries amulet" had enormous value - enough that it would make for a very lucrative bargaining chip in his hands, which would in turn bring him even closer to the _Black Pearl_. True, he didn't know where it was, but with his compass, that was no obstacle. The door to his cell, on the other hand, was.

Fortunately, Jack had been in this situation before, and he knew exactly what to do. "Bench," the buccaneer said to himself as he picked up the bench inside the small cell. "Door." He placed one end of the bench underneath the door's lowest horizontal bar. "And, of course, leverage," he finished as he pushed downwards on the free end of the bench - or rather, as he _tried_ to push downwards.

"And… leverage." For some reason, his escape plan had hit an unexpected glitch: try as he might, Jack couldn't seem to get the bench go down so that the door would pop off its hinges. "Leverage!" Jack's efforts became almost comical in appearance as he started jumping repeatedly in an effort to put all of his weight on the bench. "Leverage, damn you, leverage!" To his credit, Jack did manage to get the free end of the bench to return to the floor; the problem was that he did so by snapping the whole thing in two, leaving a mess of splintered wood and a door that was still very much functional (and closed).

It was then that Jack realized what had gone wrong. The last time he'd been in the brig of the _Flying Dutchman_, the ship was under the command of Davy Jones. Apparently, when Will took over, he'd decided to do some structural remodeling to the ship's detention facility.

Like replacing the half-barrel hinges on the doors with more secure modern designs.

"Bloody hell," Jack said as he slumped to the floor. This was going to take some more thinking, and he still wasn't sure how much time he had.

* * *

When Duplicas arrived on the deck of the _Flying Dutchman_, she saw five of the Senshi gathered together along with about two dozen sailors, all of them glowering at her venomously.

"My guests inform me that you are not the sort of person I would want on my ship," opened a twentysomething-looking man - the captain, apparently. "You have thirty seconds to leave this ship, or…"

"Or what?" the demon asked with a smirk. "You'll destroy me? Please. No matter what these girls have told you, I assure you I am much stronger now than I have been in the past." Desperation had a way of dramatically increasing one's abilities that way. "I will be taking the Aries amulet."

"Yeah, right," Aquarius said with a snarl. "We're gonna beat ya to a pulp, just like every other time. We've already _got_ the amulet _and_ Aries, an' pretty soon you'll be runnin' home with yer tail between yer legs."

"If you ask me, your interests would be better served if you would just accept the inevitable, give me the amulet, and beg for mercy."

"Over my dead body!"

Duplicas couldn't help but smile at the feisty redhead; this Aquarius was so much more interesting than the previous one. At the very least, she would make things quite interesting if she returned to her lady's service. Of course, the fact that Lady Zodiac almost certainly wanted as many of her Senshi to return to her as possible meant that Duplicas would have to show restraint—and she hated showing restraint. As it was, she was not allowed to use any lethal force against the Zodiac Senshi unless provoked. Fortunately, Duplicas knew _exactly_ how to get provoked.

"Capricorn, how nice to see you again."

"What do you want?"

"Such a belligerent tone… is that anyway to greet your loving grandmother?" the youma asked, once again shifting her voice into that of Azusa's relative.

Sailor Capricorn may have been reasonably level-headed under most circumstances, but there was no way in hell she was going to let Azusa go through anything that even remotely resembled that psychological trauma again. "You _bitch_! I'll kill you!" she shouted as she charged towards the demon.

Duplicas chuckled darkly as the conflict got underway. "Bring it on."

* * *

The noise and clatter from the brouhaha above filtered down to the _Dutchman_'s brig in short order, further impressing upon Jack Sparrow that his time was limited. He began talking to himself, trying to collect his thoughts: "How are you going to get out this one, Jack?"

This question was quite unexpectedly answered by a screech from just outside the door. The buccaneer stood up and looked toward the noise's source, and saw… a capuchin monkey wearing a red vest.

"Jack?" asked Jack. "Is that you?"

The small monkey seemed to respond to the name, which implied that this was indeed Jack, the undead monkey once owned by Sparrow's late archrival, Hector Barbossa (well, the time anyone had seen Hector, he was dead, but that sort of thing had never stopped him before). Of course, there was the question of how Jack the Monkey had gotten on the _Flying Dutchman_ to begin with, but Jack Sparrow was willing to ignore that for now - especially when he saw what the monkey had in his paws.

"Those wouldn't be the keys to this cell, would they?"

The monkey screeched again, apparently in the affirmative.

The pirate then asked the obvious question. "What happened to the mutt? He called in sick?"

Jack received an annoyed screech in reply.

"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to demean your work, mate. So, how about lettin' ol' Jack out of this cell, eh?"

The monkey responded by turning his back to the pirate.

"Oh, come on, what's that for?"

The monkey ignored Jack's question and began walking towards the door, carrying the keys with him.

"Is this about all the times I shot you? Come on, man, you're an undead monkey! It's not like I _really_ hurt you."

This comment earned yet another angry screech before the monkey turned to continue his exit.

"All right! All right, I'm sorry, okay? Look, I'll make it up to you, I promise. I can get you your very own banana plantation."

The monkey paused and turned back. He then pointed at himself, his head, and Jack, in that order. This caused Captain Sparrow some confusion until he realized that when the monkey was pointing at his head, he was actually forming a finger pistol.

"You want to shoot me?"

Jack the Monkey screeched and jumped up and down enthusiastically.

Jack paused for a few seconds before answering, "Okay, I think we can do that. But first, you have to let me out."

The little capuchin hurried over to the door, scampered up to the lock, and, after locating the proper key on his ring, unlocked Jack's cell, releasing the pirate to the world once again.

"Thank you very much, my friend. Now if you will excuse me, I have some important business to attend to…."

"AaAAah! AaAAah! AaAAah!"

"What? Oh, right. The shooting thing. Well, let's just get that out of the way, why don't we? First, I'll need my effects… ah, there they are." Jack hurried to the corner of the room where his sword and gun lay and quickly rearmed himself. "Right. Now, as to the shooting…" He drew his gun from his belt, checked to see that it was loaded, and in one motion, aimed it directly at Jack the Monkey and pulled the trigger, sending the diminutive zombie primate flying across the room. "I love doing that." Jack placed his gun back in his belt and exited the brig to find the amulet everyone was after.

* * *

There was a lot of going on as Jack made his way through the ship - granted, there was likely much more happening on the deck than down here below, but there was enough ruckus to provide the buccaneer with more than enough distractions to allow him easy access to the different parts of the _Dutchman_. Good thing, too - if someone had noticed him, he might have actually been obligated to take a side in the conflict, which was something he always tried to avoid; it was so difficult to look out for your own interests when you had to worry about others. From what mayhem he did encounter, it seemed that Duplicas was using a lot of shadowy apparitions to fight a motley group of sailors whom she apparently didn't know were immortal for all practical purposes, with the occasional underdressed schoolgirl - magical girls, no doubt, or Duplicas would have made mincemeat of them already. He was quite glad to see that the two sides looked to be evenly matched; the longer they focused on each other, the less time they had to focus on _him_, which meant his compass should have been able to lead him to the amulet relatively quickly. Which it did.

It was on the _Dutchman_'s lowest deck, a small, inconspicuous room that Jack might not have noticed if he hadn't had a supernatural gizmo in his hand. Still, even though this was the floor with the least activity (at the moment, anyway), Jack still had some difficulty entering, thanks to the tall, muscular Polynesian with a rather nasty-looking harpoon who was patrolling the area. Luckily, whatever he was guarding apparently wasn't the amulet, else Jack wouldn't have been able to enter the room. But when he did, he found what he was looking for almost immediately - a brass medallion sitting on a nightstand next to an apparently unconscious girl in rather shabby robes.

Jack wasn't sure why, but something about the girl made him uneasy. Not the androgyny - Jack had spent far too much time in the Bay Area during the 1960's to be bothered by that sort of thing. But the way he was dressed… something about this girl (he was pretty certain she was a girl) just made his hackles rise, as if this person was the embodiment of all that was opposed to who he was (which was impossible, since Jack was reasonably certain that that embodiment had been Lord Cutler Beckett). Jack shook the feeling off. Now was not the time to be dwelling on vacuous ideas and notions like this - the amulet was right in front of him, and with it, he'd have the bargaining power to ensure that the _Black Pearl_ was restored to him on _his terms_. Carefully, he grabbed the amulet, hung it around his neck and tucked it into his shirt, never noticing the girl beginning to rouse beside him. He slipped towards the door as stealthily as possible… but that wasn't stealthily enough.

Jack had just placed his hand on the doorknob when a sudden rush of air flew past his head, the source of which turned out to be a four-pointed hira shuriken, currently embedded in the doorframe. "I believe you have something that belongs to me… pirate."

The sheer weight of the venom with which that final word was enunciated, combined with the inexplicable uneasiness he had earlier felt, left absolutely no doubt in Captain Sparrow's mind as to what his current situation was. Without turning around, he squinted his eyes, grit his teeth, and lowered his voice as he made his glowering reply. "Ninja…" There was only one proper response to something like this: with one fluid motion, Jack drew his cutlass, turned, and charged towards his adversary.

There are several possible reasons for the seemingly endless fascination with confrontations between buccaneers and practitioners of the art of ninjitsu. The first, and most obvious one, is that it just didn't happen all that often (at least, not often enough to generate enough data to confirm or deny the superiority of either party in the public eye). The second reason is that both pirates and ninjas had rather strong senses of self-preservation, usually borne out of the necessity of their respective lifestyles, and as such, most of the confrontations that did occur ended with one party observing the oldest (and arguably wisest) proverb on self-defense: "He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day."

At the moment, however, Jack Sparrow had elected to forgo the "fighting" part and head straight into "running away," because this ninja was clearly enraged. Fortunately, Will hadn't changed the layout of the _Flying Dutchman_ too much since Jack's last visit, so it was no trouble for Jack to navigate through the ship's decks. Unfortunately, Konatsu's fierce pursuit had forced Jack to move upwards, and "upwards" was the last place Jack wanted to go, as that was where the bulk of the violence was, and he just wasn't in the mood for it at the moment (mostly because he'd likely be on the receiving end of a lot of it).

Eventually, though, the ninja cornered the pirate at a door. Jack didn't even need to turn around to know that behind the door was the main deck; after all, he could see the sunlight coming through the window. This was not good, because Jack knew for a fact that every single person/sentient being out _there_ wanted the amulet as badly as this ninja—in Duplicas' case, probably more so. Clearly, exiting was not an option, but then, neither was staying to try his luck with this particular adversary. Sure, Jack _could_ have fought the ninja, but why take all that risk of personal injury when there was another alternative?

"So, you want this, eh?" Jack said, holding the amulet out at arm's length, dangling with a slight spin so as to catch the sunlight just so.

"Ha! You expect me to fall for that?"

"Fall for what?"

"The 'matador' trick. You want me to charge headlong at you so you can yank back the amulet at the last minute and open the door and send me out into that mess."

"I hate it when they aren't idiots," Jack commented to the ceiling.

"Why don't you just give up now? After all, most of the folks out there are want to give that to me in the first place."

"No, I think I'll take my chances with you."

"Your funeral."

The two rushed towards each other, weapons drawn, but just before they clashed, Captain Sparrow grabbed Konatsu by the shoulders, and, shifting his weight downwards, threw him backwards, allowing the ninja's forward momentum to carry him through the door and onto the busy deck. Jack got up and brushed himself off. "All too easy." With that, he rushed back into the _Dutchman_'s hold to await an opportune moment to make good his escape.

* * *

Konatsu's brief flight hardly registered with the deck's combatants, so focused were they on their individual conflicts, but that was hardly a problem. The kunoichi was able to regain his composure fairly quickly, and when he did, he had a large grin on his face. He finally allowed his grip to loosen on the metal amulet he'd grabbed off the pirate when he'd allowed him to toss him through the door, glancing at the gleaming surface, the kunoichi allowed himself to drink in the victory.

This, as it turned out, was an extremely stupid idea. "I'll be taking that," came a voice from behind the ninja. Started to turn to see who'd addressed him, but he hadn't even made it halfway before Duplicas blasted him with a bolt of shadow magic, sending him flying back across the _Dutchman_, and causing him to drop the amulet onto the deck.

"Gemini Double Beam!" a pair of identical voices sounded, as Sailors Castor and Pollux fired off their sole non-duplicating magical attack, sending the demon' main body skidding into the railing, giving an opening to snag the object to Quint, the crotchety American sailor who'd just finished dispatching one of Duplicas' apparently never-ending supply of subordinates.

"All right, who's supposed to get this thing?"

"Me," Duplicas replied, reappearing in front of the man and sucker-punching him to grab the medallion.

Any further gloating was cut short as a short club slammed into the back of Duplicas' knee, sending the demon to the deck herself. Then again, "club" wasn't exactly the most accurate term… 'scepter' was probably better.

Sailor Moon angrily wrenched the amulet from Duplicas' hand. "Konatsu?"

The kunoichi was finally back on his feet, with some help from Pisces. "Yeah?"

"Catch." The leader of the Senshi lobbed an underhand throw to the kunoichi, who deftly received the item and then proceeded to say the words he'd been anticipating since he'd first learned of his destiny.

"Aries Zodiac Power, Make Up!"

Where before there stood a rather feminine man clad in tattered, threadbare rags, there now stood… a rather feminine man clad in tattered, threadbare rags. "Nothing happened," Capricorn observed.

Konatsu looked rather sheepish as he tried again. "Uh, Aries Zodiac Power,_Please_ Make Up?" Still nothing. "With sugar on top?"

"Ha!" Duplicas said, rising. "All that work, and she isn't even the Senshi. This is…" The sentence wasn't finished, as Aquarius had used the ample supply of water around her to blast the demon into the railing on the starboard side, incapacitating her and causing her shadowy surrogates to momentarily disappear, giving Capricorn the opportunity to ready one of her potent psychological attacks for when she regained her composure.

"Don't listen ta that psycho bitch," Aquarius responded. "There's gotta be some other explanation."

"I don't know… am I just not doing it right?" Konatsu asked, holding the amulet out for a better look - which in turn got the attention of the _Dutchman_'s captain.

"Let me see that for a second," Will said, stepping forward. As it turned out, he needed far less than one second to recognize the problem. "Bloody hell!"

"What is it, Will?" asked his spouse.

"It's not the Aries amulet at all - it's that damned Aztec gold medallion my father gave to me!"

"What?!" Elizabeth cried, grabbing the coin to see for herself. "How did you get this?" she asked the ninja.

Konatsu scratched his head in confusion. "I don't know. I was certain that I'd pickpocketed off of that pirate with the red bandanna when he threw me through the door."

"Red bandanna? Hold on…." Elizabeth's eyes widened as she realized exactly what had happened. "Where's Jack?"

* * *

Jack chuckled to himself as he opened the hatch of Duplicas' magical yellow submarine. He reached into his vest and pulled out the bronze medallion that had been the center of so much attention. "All too easy." The buccaneer replaced his well-earned boon into his pocket, and entered the vessel, closing the hatch behind him. "And our friends… are all aboard…."


	17. An abrupt resolution

Author's Note:

I almost completely forgot to upload this episode. Kwakerjak finished two new chapters, actually, and I forgot to upload them both. So now here they are, merged into one bigger episode. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Captain Jack Sparrow was in a very good mood as he descended into the sub's hull. Granted, he still didn't know _why_ everyone wanted to get their grubby hands on the amulet, but he didn't really need to know. After all, to him, it was little more than a bargaining chip to get what he actually wanted (that being _The Black Pearl_, of course). He'd always known (or at least strongly suspected) that it was well within Will Turner's considerable power to resurrect the ship once again, and while he had nary a clue how Duplicas could do it, the fact that Turner and those schoolgirls were taking her so seriously indicated that the _Pearl_'s revival was more than likely within her capacity as well. Really, there was nothing more for him to do except hightail it out of the area and wait for the winner to contact him to make a deal.

And if it turned out that his ship really _was_ gone for good? Well, yellow coloration aside, a magical submarine _was_ quite impressive, and a ship was still a ship, no matter what it looked like. All she really needed was an appropriate paint job, and Bob's-your-uncle-Fannie's-your-aunt, Captain Sparrow would be in the possession of the _Black Pearl II_. Yes, things were going quite swimmingly... assuming, of course, that he could carry out the "hightailing" phase of his plan.

"Bloody hell, which of these buttons starts this damn thing?"

"Did you try the one that's marked 'Ignition'?"

"Ah, of course, thank y... Wait a minute..." Jack turned around to see the source of the advice and received one of the biggest surprises of his life (and given what he'd gone through, that was saying a lot). "The Ninja!"

Konatsu stood face-to-face with the pirate, dripping wet and quite obviously less than happy. "I'd like my amulet, please."

"But… but you were on the deck of the _Dutchman_. I saw you slumping in resignation just before I came down here."

"A ninja never reveals his secrets, especially to a no-account _pirate_." Konatsu replied, his mouth forming an angry sneer as he spat out the words. Besides, the Duplicating Body Technique was more than a little complex for _any_ amateur to comprehend, let alone a greasy buccaneer. "The Amulet. **Now.**"

"Ugh, I hate it when people like you are so single-minded; it gets in the way of my own single-mindedness." He drew his cutlass with his right hand and pulled the amulet out of his pocket with his left, wrapping the chain around his wrist. "You want it? Come get it!" Konatsu obliged by pulling his sai out once again and charging towards his adversary, engaging him in a much more straightforward confrontation than the previous time—then it had been a clash of wits, now a clash of weapons.

Any hopes that the kunoichi may have had of an "easy" win over the dingy corsair crumbled within the first thirty seconds of the conflict. Though it had initially seemed that the pirate was so tipsy that he would only need the assistance of a mild counterattack to tumble over, Konatsu had yet to actually get him off-balance—in fact, his counterattacks ended up leaving him open to counter-counterattacks, one of which he barely managed to escape, as evidenced by a new tear in the leg of his clothes. _If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this pirate had managed to infuse Western swordsmanship with the principles of drunken kung fu!_ Clearly, trying to win this fight in a straightforward fashion was not likely to prove very profitable, but fortunately, Konatsu wasn't really seeking to defeat the pirate _per se_: rather, he just needed to get the amulet, which the pirate was still holding by the chain in his free hand.

Thinking quickly, the kunoichi looked to take advantage of the close quarters in the submarine's hull and leapt up towards the ceiling, turning a full 180 degrees vertically before pushing off downwards towards his foe, holding out one of his sai with the rather obvious intent of snagging the amulet on it. It was something that Jack had never seen in all of his years and that was saying something. Fortunately, Jack managed to move away, despite being caught of guard. Unfortunately, he neglected to take the restricted confines of the sub into account, and overcorrected his dodge, slamming his body into a panel of buttons that immediately lit up and began making various blips and bloops as the internal workings of the ship powered up.

As the sub shuddered and start moving, Jack idly wondered aloud, "Why do I get the distinct impression that this is not a good thing?"

* * *

When it was first realized that this was yet another day when Captain Jack Sparrow was _almost_ successfully detained by his foes (a group which in this instance just happened to include some of his closest friends in their number), the passengers and crew of the _Flying Dutchman_ immediately conducted what soon turned out to be a futile effort to find the elusive corsair. Sailor Aquarius, never one to mask her emotions, summed the situation up quite nicely when the searchers regrouped on the deck: "Well, this is just spiffy. Where the hell is that freakin' pirate?"

Will was about to answer when a sudden _boom_ and subsequent _splash_ off the port side jostled everyone present. "I'm not certain, but I think I have a reasonably good idea." The others present needed little more encouragement to hurry over to that side of the ship to get a better look. The assembled crew stared out at the water, but all they saw was the Pacific Ocean, albeit unusually choppy as a result of whatever it was that had just occurred.

"What happened?" Sailor Gemini asked.

"There's only one explanation," Elizabeth explained sardonically, "and that's Jack Sparrow. I don't know what's going on, but if it's strange and disruptive, he doubtless has something to do with it. And that, my friend, is a very bad thing."

"Actually, it's much worse," came a voice from behind the crowd.

Moon was somewhat stunned to see the resident illusionist hurrying towards the main group of spectators. "Capricorn? What are you doing? I thought you were watching Duplicas."

"Sorry... I was distracted by the commotion, and she escaped."

"Drat. I know you said that Konatsu's luck was bad, but…" Sailor Moon's voice trailed off as she looked around. "Hang on a minute... where _is_ Konatsu?"

Aquarius responded, "Best guess? Out there, where all the commotion is."

"And that's probably where Duplicas is headed," Capricorn added.

"This very bad, yes?" Pisces asked the _Dutchman_'s captain.

"It could be," Will replied somberly. "It really all depends on whose side Jack decides to be on for the next five minutes or so."

* * *

Submarines are rather large objects, and with that mass comes quite a bit of inertia. Newton's laws of motion would therefore lead one to conclude that it would not be able to move all that quickly. However, this conclusion fails to take into account the existence of magic, which has an annoying tendency to give the principles of Newtonian physics migraines, aneurysms, and concussions that make anything Einstein could come up with seem like a mild bump to the head. Duplicas' submarine, powered largely through magic, was not just moving: it was swerving wildly beneath the surface, trying to process all of the simultaneous inputs to its system that Jack had accidentally activated, thus making the "fight" between ninja and pirate less about victory and more about intestinal fortitude. This, of course, did not stop Konatsu from trying to grab the amulet; it just made his attempts comically difficult.

Thus, when Duplicas transported to the scene, her attempts to use intimidation were somewhat ineffective, since the humans on board were rather distracted by other stimuli. After thirty seconds of shouted threats (most of which were ignored), the youma groaned and pressed a large, red "PANIC" button that instantly stabilized the craft and caused it to surface. Once the vessel was calm once again, Duplicas began anew: "Now that I have your attention—hey!" Any attention the two combatants may have had returned once again to each other, as Jack rushed towards the hatch leading outside, followed closely by Konatsu. "Damn..." the shadow demon grumbled as she prepared to follow the pair.

* * *

Most of the people on the _Flying Dutchman_ expected to find out the cause of the commotion, however, few of them expected that that cause would surface only a few minutes later off of the ship's starboard side: a large yellow submarine, which had apparently traveled underneath the ship before surfacing with a splash almost as noisy as the original descent. On the other hand, when the sub's hatch opened, the persons who emerged lined up quite well with their expectations: Jack, followed closely by Konatsu, who in turn was followed by Duplicas.

It seemed that the trio were about to begin another brawl for the amulet (this time on the slippery deck of a recently surfaced sub), when Jack noticed that several persons on the _Dutchman_ looked ready to dive into the water to assist their ninja friend, which would likely result in more complications... and by this time, Captain Jack Sparrow had had enough with complications. Fortunately, he knew exactly what to do in situations like this.

"Stop!"

The all the action abruptly ceased as everyone present turned to see Jack Sparrow standing at the stern of the yellow submarine.

"It has become abundantly clear," the buccaneer began, "that there are quite a few interested parties present. And the object of said parties' said interest is the said possession which is currently in my possession... said." To illustrate, Captain Sparrow held out the coveted medallion for all to view. "Thus," he continued, "we come to the question of the hour—what in blazes _is_ this thing?"

"That's the Aries amulet," Konatsu said. It allows me to transform into Sailor Aries.

"I see… so, you would be in the contingent of magical girls, then?"

"Yes."

"Despite the fact that you are rather obviously a man in drag?"

"Yes... wait, what do you mean _obviously_?"

Jack motioned towards the lower half of the ninja's body. "Your pants' fabric is a tad 'clingy' when it's wet."

"Enough of this foolishness!" Duplicas roared. "Give me the amulet, Sparrow—we had a deal!"

This produced a rather derisive reaction from the _Dutchman_'s captain. "Hah! If you think the fact that you made a _deal_ with Jack is enough to get him to keep up his end of the bargain, you clearly haven't taken the time to get to know him."

"You would be wise to stay out of this, William. After all, if it weren't for you, there wouldn't have been a deal to make."

"Wouldn't have been…?" Will's voice trailed off as he tried to discern the meaning of his friend's statement... a task that only took him the better part of five seconds. "Oh, for Pete's sake! Not the _Black Pearl_ again!"

"Of _course_ the _Pearl_ again!"

"Jack, I destroyed the _Pearl_ for your own good... your obsession with that ship was getting out of control, and I had to stop you from putting other people in grave danger."

"And clearly, the tableau before you shows how successful _that_ particular effort was in accomplishing your goal," Jack retorted. "Now, Ms. Duplicas here claims that she can reunite me with my ship, in return for this magical doodad."

"And I can," confirmed the youma.

"No, she can't," Will replied. "At least, not in any way that you'd accept."

"Aha!" Jack shouted. "I _knew_ there was a way."

Will sighed... once again, it seemed Jack had gotten the better of him. "Jack, where did the _Pearl_ go the last time she was destroyed?"

"The last time? Why, that's simple. Jones sent her to... the... Locker."

"Exactly. And how did _you_ get there last time?"

"Oh… ah… I believe Jones sent me there as well, with the assistance of your lovely spouse."

"Oh, God, are you ever going to let that go?" Elizabeth cried.

"Not as long as I can keep using it as leverage, love."

"Anyway," Will said, hoping to deflect the conversation away from his wife's past sins, "I expect this demon intends to reunite you with the _Pearl_ the same way."

"What sort of fool do you take me for?" Duplicas asked. "Sparrow's ability to escape his fate is legendary... why, if I didn't know better, I'd say he made a deal with Death herself."

"Well, not _directly_," Jack muttered to himself.

"Besides," Duplicas continued, "one needn't be dead to reach the Locker."

"A very salient point," Jack said, speaking up once again.

"Jack, do you really think you'll be able to get _back_ with your ship all by yourself?"

"Another salient point, but do keep in mind that thus far, I know that _she_ can actually deliver on her promise to me with minimal damage to my person, while _you_, on the other hand, have yet to make even the beginning of a sales pitch."

"Jack..."

"Come on, man, aren't you going to offer me the _Pearl_?"

"Jack, what exactly do you propose to _do_ with her when you get her back? She's hardly inconspicuous nowadays."

"So, no offer, then? Well, it looks as though we have a winner."

Sailor Moon decided that this was a good time to enter the conversation. "Captain Sparrow, that amulet controls Fortune itself."

"Does it, now? I can see why everyone wants to acquire it, then—even if 'controlling Fortune' doesn't make a lick of sense."

"Konatsu needs it to transform into Sailor Aries, in order to protect the world from demons like her," Moon continued, pointing at Jack's business partner. "You can't _really_ be willing to put the fate of humanity at stake for a ship, can you?"

The pirate considered this for a few seconds before answering, "Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I am."

Will, naturally, would not stay silent at this. "Jack, if you give the amulet to that demon, the second she raises the _Pearl_, I'll destroy it again."

"Oh dear… I suppose that does put a damper on the lady's offer, doesn't it?" Jack moved his attention back to Duplicas. "What say you?"

This put Duplicas in a rather tight spot; obviously, she couldn't simply re-raise the _Pearl_, since Turner could just destroy it again. Thus, she tried a more traditional temptation: "I can give you great power!"

"Love, they say that with great power comes great responsibility, and I for one absolutely _loathe_ responsibility, and hence have little to no use for great power."

"Then I'll give you license to do whatever you want, without consequences—total freedom from responsibility!"

"I _already_ do whatever I want, and half the fun comes from _escaping_ the consequences that other people want to impose on me."

"Damn it, when are you going to start making sense, Sparrow?"

"That's _Captain_ Sparrow, and I shall commence making sense just as soon as making sense proves itself to be more interesting than the alternative."

It was then that Sailor Moon got an idea. "You don't want that ship," she said.

"Young lady, I believe that it has been established rather firmly that I do, in fact, want my ship back."

"I don't think so. I think you really want something else—something that the _Black Pearl_ can't give you any more."

"Really? And what, my dear, might that be?"

"Excitement."

Rather than shooting this down, the buccaneer seemed intrigued. "Go on…."

"The only thing you can do with a old ship like that these days is take tourists on windjammer cruises. It's too outdated to do anything else."

"I see… so, you're promising me a better ship?"

"No... but if you join us, I _can_ promise you an interesting life."

"Oh, come on!" Duplicas shouted. "That's got to be the stupidest—"

"Deal," Jack said.

"What?!"

"Girl has a point, after all. _Pearl_'s not good for much beyond being a museum ship, now."

"But… but you were willing to do anything to get it back!"

"I still am, love. But now that Will's basically admitted that my most prized possession still intact in the Locker I know it'll be safe until I'm ready to go and retrieve it myself because nobody _else_ is crazy enough to willingly sail to World's End and brave solar flares, sand dunes, and salt flats just to get an old ship. Unless, of course, the _Dutchman_'s captain refuses to let me have my ship even under these circumstances…." Jack ended this sentence with a pointed glance towards his friend, who was sorely tempted to answer in the negative; however, a sad puppy face from Sailor Moon (coupled with a rather irritated glare from his wife) dissuaded him from this path.

"If you manage to get it yourself, I won't take it away from you."

"As I thought," Jack continued with a grin. "In the meantime I believe I'll take this young lady up on her offer—she looks like she's going to be going through some interesting times which I've always thought were highly underrated by those layabouts with nothing better to do with their time than come up with ancient Chinese proverbs, savvy?"

"Arrgh!" Duplicas lunged towards the pirate, who quickly sidestepped the demon.

"Oh, come on, you didn't think it'd be that… easy?" Jack's voice trailed off as he felt the chain around his wrist snap in the course of his gesticulating, sending the attached amulet flying over his shoulder, back into the Pacific.

"No!" Konatsu shouted as he rushed towards the spot where it dropped; once again, it seemed, his bad luck had gotten the best of him.

"Ha!" Duplicas chortled derisively. "All that work for nothing—and you know I can get to the amulet before you do! You lose! /You lose! You… what?"

The demon's mocking was interrupted by a sudden disturbance in the water; at first a mere discoloration, it grew into a pale mass, rapidly approaching the water's surface until…

"It's Moby-Dick!" Will called. "The sub's movements must have called him by accident!" Indeed, no sooner had the _Dutchman_'s captain made this statement than his familiar breached the water, soaring into the air until its entire body was in the air (an amazing sight, to be sure, as the albino whale looked to be at least twenty feet longer than the longest sperm whale on record) before re-entering the water right next to the yellow submarine, creating a huge splash in the process and soaking everyone with what felt like half the Pacific Ocean, as well as knocking all three persons on the sub off of their feet.

"Damn it! I hate getting wet," cursed a very irritated Shadow youma as she sat up. "What more can go wrong today?" Unfortunately, the answer to that question was not long in coming.

"Hey, Duplicas," Konatsu said, a wide smirk clearly visible on his soaked face as he stood up. "Look what the nice whale decided to give to me." He raised the Aries amulet into the air, instinctually entering the standard transformation pose for the Zodiac Senshi.

"No… no! This can't be happening! There's no way you could have gotten it back! Not like _that_! The odds against it are… are…"

"Astronomical," Jack finished for the demon, finally gaining a sense of what the trinket was actually capable of.

Konatsu smiled at his erstwhile antagonist. "Exactly. **Aries Zodiac Power, Make Up!**"

* * *

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Elizabeth Turner said to no one in particular.

"Yeah, an' it wasn't nearly as impressive as I thought it'd be, neither," Sailor Aquarius added, clearly unaware that she was being somewhat redundant. Still, after what had just transpired, the comment was still quite appropriate.

Sailor Aries' transformation had gone off without a hitch—within seconds, the ragtag male ninja was gone, and in his place stood a clean-cut (and most definitely female) Senshi wearing a khaki-skirted seifuku, though the small, red ribbon on her ponytail remained. Duplicas responded with a predictable rant denying the blatantly obvious reality before her, and made a desperate lunge towards the last of the Zodiac Senshi, who responded by simply pointing a finger at her assailant and uttering one of her magical attacks: "**Fortune's Sneer.**"

The sky did not part; the ocean did not boil; the earth did not turn itself inside out. There were no colors, no swirling winds, no dull roars, or beams of mana. No, nothing happened at all, yet Duplicas still collapsed on the deck of the yellow submarine before she could even come close to harming her target. Apparently, spending hours in the sunlight burning off massive quantities of energy was not at all healthy for a shadow youma, even one as powerful as Duplicas, and it just so happened that she expended the last of her reserves just as Aries finished calling her attack.

"I'm telling you, I'm almost certain that's how it's supposed to work," Aries appealed to her comrades in an effort to convince them that she had, in fact, actually _done_ something. The disbelief of those who had been watching was starting to make her alto (formerly countertenor) voice shrill with exasperation. "Just because it looks like a coincidence doesn't mean it _is_."

"Now that you mention it, Pluto _did_ say that Aries' attacks tended to look like dumb luck," Gemini speculated.

"But that not make sense," Pisces interjected. "How Aries attack _now_ affect what Duplicas already done?"

"That's an easy one, love," Jack answered from his resting spot, lounging against the _Dutchman_'s mast. "Fortune isn't just a matter of what's happening in the present otherwise any Tom, Dick, or Mortimer could change his luck with the principled application of the intellect to the situation."

"Not sure Scuzzy Pirate understand. Pisces want it to _make sense_."

Jack sighed. "What could happen in the future isn't just a result of what's happening now; it's also a result of what has already happened."

"Right… and what does that mean?" asked Gemini.

"It means your ninja friend has the ability to affect the past from the present—a deus ex machina incarnate, if you will. Certainly explains why everyone was so keen on that trinket, to say the least."

"He... I mean, she can change the past?!" Gemini responded incredulously.

"Don't be silly. You can't change the past."

"Huh? Then what..."

Jack didn't give Gemini a chance to finish her sentence, instead shifting his focus to a far more pertinent topic. "Say, Will, do you have any rum, or did that murderous spouse of yours decide to have another bonfire?"

* * *

In another corner of the ship, Duplicas was barely clinging to existence, having spent massive quantities of energy in a very inefficient fashion, watched over by Sailors Capricorn and Moon, who were trying to squeeze some information out of the youma. Duplicas' responses, however, were restricted to ominous, if ragged, chuckles, causing Moon eventually throw up her hands in frustration. "Why are you laughing? In case you didn't notice, we have all the amulets, and all the Zodiac Senshi. It's over; you lost."

This finally got Duplicas to verbalize a reply, though it wasn't much better than the chuckling: "If you really think it's over, you're more dense than you look. When it's all said and done, you're going to wish that you'd _given_ me the amulets."

"What does that mean? Tell me, or I'll…"

"You'll what?" came the rhetorical rejoinder. "Go ahead," the youma rasped. "Kill me. There's nothing you could possibly do to me that could be worse than what she would do."

"She _who_?"

"I said, kill me."

"Who is this person you're talking about?"

"Damn it, just kill me and get it over with!"

"Tell me who you're talking about!"

Duplicas coughed. "Fine. You want to be stubborn? Two can play at that game."

"What do you..." Sailor Moon was abruptly interrupted by several loud screams from below the deck.

"They've got the passengers!"

"They're with the demon!"

It took the Senshi's leader several seconds before she realized who the "passengers" were: the tragically deceased family that Captain Turner was ferrying to the afterlife.

"You're taking hostages?!"

Duplicas chuckled darkly. "You can either kill me now before she can get to me, or let three innocent souls be destroyed. It's your decision."

This was met with several seconds of consternated silence on Moon's before more voices filtered through the rapidly increasing scurry of activity. "They're charging an attack! Somebody do something!"

Duplicas simply grinned widely as a frustrated Sailor Moon used her finishing move from point blank range: "**Moon Spiral Heart Attack**!" Sailor Moon was not one who would ordinarily use foul language, but as the last remnants of the Shadow youma Duplicas disintegrated into the ether, she once again demonstrated that today was far from ordinary.


	18. Karmacoma

The return to Tokyo for the Senshi was largely uneventful - it wasn't until they actually got back that things started to get interesting. "Why is he here?" Setsuna asked with a scowl.

Captain Jack Sparrow couldn't resist a smirk, he'd known the green-haired woman for quite some time (if only because one would have a difficult time finding two immortals who _hadn't_ met up at some point in the past), but he'd never suspected that she was some sort of superhero. "Oh, come on, Susannah, is that any way to treat your newly reformed ally?"

"One, it's Setsuna. Two, you aren't an 'ally,' you're Jack-goddamn-Sparrow. And three, stop touching my things!" Setsuna was most definitely not happy that the Senshi had teleported _him_ into _her_ home; she'd acquired quite a few valuables over the centuries, and she was quite keen on keeping them. Of course, this did absolutely nothing to stop the buccaneer, but shouting did provide a moment of cathartic release, which Setsuna really needed by this point. "Anyway, Konatsu - where is he?"

"She," Ranma corrected bluntly. "Looks like when a male transforms into a female Senshi, it's permanent." The logical corollary to this statement (i.e., that there was no longer any chance that Ranma would try something like this himself) remained unspoken - mostly because it was rather obvious. "She's off tryin' ta deal with the fact that she don't have no chance with Ucchan anymore. At least, not unless Ucchan suddenly turned bi in the last few hours."

"I… don't think she had time for anything that," Setsuna said as diplomatically as she could. "She was rather... preoccupied."

"Why doesn't that sound good?" Usagi asked.

"Because it isn't. That's why I want to talk to Konatsu. Do you know where he - sorry, _she_ went?"

"I think she said she was headin' back ta the restaurant."

"Oh, dear…"

* * *

It had been an eventful day for Konatsu: if claiming her place as a superheroine wasn't enough, she had also become an honest-to-goodness _she_. And even though she'd spent most of her life training to perform an amazingly believable female impersonation, coming to grips with an actual change in her anatomy was something she'd never dreamed of needing to prepare for. Even though she had never thought of herself as being transgendered before her change (and was thus technically transgendered now), she'd already decided against any sort of surgical procedures to correct the "problem." Aside from the fact that she didn't have anywhere near the money for it, there was also the fact that transforming into Sailor Aries would undo any such procedure, and as far as she was concerned, her new duties as a Senshi overruled any personal inconvenience. Besides, Konatsu had been dealing with misfortune her entire life; this was hardly more distressing than any other turn of events in her life, after all.

In any case, what Konatsu needed at the moment was a chance to rest and reflect on the situation, which was why she'd headed to Ucchan's almost immediately upon returning from the _Flying Dutchman_. She loved the restaurant almost as much as she did its namesake; it was the first building that she could call a home in any meaningful sense of the word. Thus it was somewhat distressing for her to return home not to a bustling restaurant, but to a pile of rubble in the lot where it was supposed to be standing, with the only other person present being the proprietor.

"Oh no!" Konatsu rushed over to the figure of her boss, who was seated on a miraculously intact chair, staring at the wreckage. "Are you alright, Ukyo-sama?!"

Noting the ever-so-slightly higher pitch of her friend's voice, Ukyo sighed and smiled sadly to herself, as though she'd just had a nagging, groundless suspicion confirmed. "I'm fine, Konatsu. You got the amulet, I take it?"

Konatsu wasn't quite sure what to make of that statement. "Yes, though it wasn't easy." She quickly turned the focus of the conversation back to the most obvious issue: "Ukyo-sama… what happened?"

"Your evil stepfamily happened, that's what."

"I don't understand."

"It seems that their attempts to restart their tea-house haven't exactly gone according to plan. You see, for some unknown reason, what potential customers they can find haven't been staying around long enough to actually pay for their services."

"Well, I'm not certain, but I think the fact that all three are tremendously ugly has something to do with that."

Ukyo sighed. "Yes, Konatsu, I know. When I said 'unknown reason,' I meant unknown to _them_."

"Oh. That does make a bit more sense."

"In any case, the only change that _they_ noticed was that they no longer had you to boss around and work to the bone. So... they came back to get you."

"And destroyed your restaurant?"

"Well, technically speaking, they didn't come here with that idea... they just ripped the place to shreds looking for your hiding space."

"But I wasn't even here!"

"That's what I told them."

"And?"

"And they said that's exactly what I would say if I was trying to hide you."

Konatsu slumped down next to a splintered table. "Great… it was bad enough when it was just me who was unlucky… now I'm hurting my friends - oof!"

Ukyo reattached her baker's peel to its spot on her bandolier, leaving a small bump on her kunoichi's head. "Knock it off, Konatsu. I have enough things bothering me without you wallowing in self-pity."

"But, Ukyo-sama, this is because I used the amulet..."

"And _definitely_ don't give me any nonsense about how you shouldn't have used your abilities. The Senshi's cause is certainly worth dealing with temporary setbacks like this."

"But... how can you run a restaurant without a building?"

"I did have insurance on the place, Konatsu - it's practically a necessity around here, what with all the property damage. I'll be able to rebuild, if I have to."

"If you have to?"

"Yeah… the Amazons have actually offered to sublet space in the Nekohanten so I can keep Ucchan's in business."

"But aren't they the primary competition for your market share?"

"Well, yes, but there's one very obvious overriding factor."

"And that is?"

"Shampoo and I are both Senshi, and that sort of takes precedence."

"I don't understand… I thought for certain that the side effects of my powers would make the whole situation just awful."

"They did - after all, my restaurant's been demolished, and that's never good. But you're forgetting that _I'm_ the Senshi of Balance. Things tend to even out for me in the long haul."

"Oh..." It seemed to make sense - with the exception of a particularly glaring fault: "Wait a minute; Shampoo was on the ship with me. How could the other Amazons have known about the Senshi?"

"The same way you knew. There was no way Shampoo could keep a secret like that from Cologne. Up to this point, she'd just been waiting for Shampoo to actually tell her what she already knew before offering to give us any direct help. Fortunately, it seems that the Senshi play a pretty major part of Amazon lore, and she felt obliged to help me out."

"That's wonderful! I'm so happy you've managed to find a way to thwart my... misfortune. So… where will I be staying?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course you're going to stay with me - unless you'd rather go back to your stepfamily's teahouse, that is."

"But I'm a jinx."

"You're a Senshi, and you're my friend. All the bad luck in the world wouldn't stop me from helping you."

Konatsu's eyes began to water as the implications of that statement sank in. "Thank you, Ukyo-sama."

"Don't worry about it. So, now that my 800-pound gorilla's been taken care of, what about yours?"

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Konatsu, you we're always good at playing the girl, but never _this_ good. The amulet turned you into a real girl, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did." The kunoichi sighed again. "There goes any shot at a normal romantic life."

"What are you talking about? Before, people thought you were a straight man pretending to be a lesbian, but now you actually _are_ a lesbian. That sounds _more_ normal to me."

"You think so?"

"You bet I do." Ukyo put her arm around Konatsu. "Don't worry; someday, you'll find the girl of your dreams."

"Ukyo-sama…"

The chef blushed as she realized her error. "Oh, right. _I'm_ the girl of your dreams. Well, I'm sure there are others out there, and some of them have to at least be bi, right?"

"I guess…"

"Like I said: Don't worry. Things will work themselves out."

"I certainly hope so, Ukyo-sama."

"C'mon," the chef said. "I still need to find some paperwork in what's left of my office."


	19. San Conrado

There were few people who would argue that Jade Chan loved excitement and adventure (and those who did inevitably had her confused with someone else), so it had hardly been surprising that she'd decided to bend (or, more accurately, "break") the rules that her uncle had given her when she'd first come up with the idea to investigate the "Minoton" creature. Not being one to hoard potential joy, the young girl had recruited three of her fellow Senshi and headed to Mexico via the internet - she still had no idea how that worked, but Maria didn't think it necessary to give a detailed explanation - in order to find Paco, the number-one-fan of El Toro Fuerte, whose resemblance to the monster in question constituted their only lead thus far.

However, Jade and her compatriots soon ran into a problem: while it was certainly true that adventures often came with their share of excitement, _investigations_ had an unfortunate tendency to devolve into long stretches of tedium as potential leads were methodically and slowly exhausted. In this case the problem was finding Paco's hometown, which was so small that finding it on a map of the country had proved downright impossible. It had taken most of the afternoon to find discern the location of the town, and a little more than an hour to reach it by cab from Mexico City - by the time the four girls actually arrived, it was nearly dusk.

That said, the tiny farming community of San Conrado was quite picturesque in the fading light. Like many small towns, it was built up around a church - and while the one here was hardly an architectural marvel, it was still quite nice, particularly with the mountains in the background. The homes were equally modest, reflecting the general economic class of the town's residents, though there were a few telephone poles that indicated that the population was hardly destitute. It seemed that, with the exception of the problems normally associated with agriculture, there was generally little to interrupt the peaceful way of life in San Conrado. In short, it was the kind of simple town that most adults wished they'd grown up in, and was therefore so boring that actual children would have done almost anything to keep from having to grow up there.

Naturally, in a town this small, finding Paco's house turned out to be a breeze. Jade knocked on the front door, which opened a few seconds later to reveal a teenage girl, perhaps a three or four years older than her friend. "Hi! My name's Jade Chan, and these are my friends, Hotaru, Chibi-Usa, and Maria."

"And I'm Crabmon," Maria's partner helpfully added.

Talking crabs being somewhat rare, the girl was rather curious. "Is he one of those computer creatures they mentioned in the newspaper?"

"Well, they're called Digimon, but yes, he is," Maria confirmed.

"I see. Well, I'm pleased to meet you all. My name is Josefina. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Uh, I'm a friend of a boy named Paco, and I was told that he lives here." Josefina did not respond right away, instead taking on a forlorn look on her face. "Is this not the right address?" Jade asked.

"No… this is the right place. I'm Paco's cousin. His parents asked me to look after the house while they take care of... business in Mexico City."

"Well, can we speak to him? It's about El Toro Fuerte, and it's kind of important."

"I'm sorry, but no."

"What? Why? Did something happen?"

"Yes." Josefina paused, unsure of how much to tell these strangers. Finally, she decided that they looked fairly trustworthy, and invited them inside. "Why don't you come in and let me explain?"

The four girls followed her into the small building. "Would you like something to eat?" Josefina asked.

"No, that won't be necessary, but thank you," Maria responded.

Josefina sighed again, as if she'd been hoping that fixing a light snack for her guests would let her delay talking about whatever was on her mind. Jade seemed to pick up on this: "It's… really bad, isn't it?"

"Si," Josefina nodded. "Paco, he… he disappeared a few weeks ago."

"Disappeared?!" the four girls (and one Digimon) asked in unison.

"Yes, it was after a wrestling match in Mexico City, the night that El Toro Fuerte regained the title. Naturally, Paco was with Toro at the time - at least, he was the last time anyone saw them."

"The last time anyone saw _them_? So Mr. Toro disappeared as well?" Maria asked.

"Yes. From what the police could gather, they were last seen at a small restaurant about halfway between here and the location of the wrestling match, but neither of them made it back."

"Wonderful," Jade blurted out in woeful sarcasm. "Is there any clue as to what might have happened?"

"None that I know of."

"No reports about strange shadows?" Hotaru asked, acting on a hunch.

"I'm not certain what you mean… though now that I think about it, Paco did mention that he'd been having dreams where he was swallowed up by some sort of darkness. Do you think that may have something to do with it?"

"It might..."

"I'm really sorry that I can't help you out. Maybe when Paco's parents come back, you could talk to them."

"No, we've bothered you enough," Jade said. "Thanks anyway."

"Adios."

The sun had set by the time the Senshi left the small home. The group had decidedly mixed opinions on whether or not their investigation had been successful.

"Great," Jade said with a sigh. "Another dead end."

"I don't know about that," Crabmon countered. "After all, before, you didn't really have any reason to connect this wrestler with the monster you saw, but now, you've got a good reason to think that you were on to something."

"But I didn't _want_ to be on to something. I wanted the whole thing to be a really stupid coincidence - and now I find out that Paco's missing, too. This is even worse!"

"But at least we didn't come away with nothing," Hotaru countered. "Especially since Paco's cousin didn't really have to tell us what was going on."

"Yeah, I guess. I just wish we'd found some real evidence, or a lead on where to find Paco... or at least had the chance to beat the crap out of something."

Jade's griping was abruptly cut short as a loud crash and an inhuman shriek emitted from the building they'd just left. Chibi-Usa glared at her friend. "You just had to say it, didn't you?"

"Sorry!" Jade replied sheepishly as the group hustled back through the front door, just in time see a female humanoid with slate blue skin, wild red hair, a kangaroo-like tail and huge wings pinning Josefina against the wall.

This intimidating appearance was accompanied by an equally intimidating temperament: "Where is the boy?! Tell me, now!"

"Guys," Chibi-Usa said, "I think it's time to get to work."

* * *

Even though Jack was having some difficulty winning over Setsuna (which made sense, given that Setsuna had actually met the buccaneer before), the same could not be said for her roommates. "...so using my world-renowned ingenuity I trapped a dozen or so hammerheads, removed their teeth, and lashed them to a branch to make a saw, thus allowing me to cut down enough palm trees to make a raft with which I could make my escape."

Haruka and Michiru were staring in rapt attention. It took several seconds of silence before the pair realized he was finished. "My," Michiru finally said, "you certainly are an interesting person, Mr. Sparrow."

"Why, thank you, my dear."

Of course, the fact that Jack did not immediately correct the violinist concerning his proper title immediately perked the interest of Setsuna, who was doing the best she could to ignore the pirate and watch the television - and she knew _exactly_ what that meant. "Don't bother, Sparrow. They're lesbians."

Jack visibly deflated as the lovely image of a girl for each arm dissipated. "I much prefer _Captain_ Sparrow, Susannah."

"_Setsuna_."

Not wanting to deal with another glaring match, Haruka decided to bring up something that had been bothering her. "Say, Jack, how exactly do the two of you know each other in the first place?"

"My dear... Haruka, was it? Most of the immortals on this planet have met each other before."

"And how exactly did you become an immortal?"

"Mermaid's Flesh," the pirate replied nonchalantly.

"Huh?"

Setsuna sighed. "If you eat a mermaid's flesh, you become immortal - assuming, of course, that you actually survive the initial consumption, which kills more than 99% of those who eat it."

"And not the 'for all practical purposes' kind of immortality, either," Jack added. "I literally can't be killed, by any means known to man."

Michiru looked like she was going to be physically ill. "You _ate_ a mermaid?"

"Listen, actual mermaids are nothing like what you see in children's stories - they're ugly, twisted, and downright nasty creatures. Besides, this one was already dead."

"But still, a survival rate of less than 1%?"

"Better than the 0% survival rate of people who _don't_ eat it."

Michiru wasn't quite sure what to make of this, though at the moment she was still fixated on her guest's decision to _eat_ the flesh of a mermaid, dead or otherwise, which sounded to her like something akin to cannibalism - or at least, half-cannibalism. Rather than continue to dwell on this, she decided to change the subject yet again. "Setsuna, when is Hotaru getting back?"

"What do you mean? I don't recall her leaving."

"But she wasn't home when Haruka and I left for our date this morning. Are you sure she didn't tell you?"

"I'm positive - do you suppose..." Setsuna's train of thought was interrupted by a tremendous crash emanating from her office. The Outers rushed to the small room to discover Sailors Saturn, Chibi-Moon, Taurus, and Cancer in a pile in front of Setsuna's desktop computer, with Crabmon perched on top.

Despite resemblances to a Marx Brothers gag, Setsuna wasn't laughing. "You have thirty seconds to explain where you've been and what you've been doing."

"Mexico," Taurus gasped from the bottom of the dogpile. "Investigating."

"Investigating? What is that supposed to mean?"

"That's probably going to take longer than thirty seconds," Crabmon replied. "But we're pretty sure we found Duplicas' replacement."

"What?!"

By now, the four Senshi were had managed to get to their feet. After a quick transformation back into their civilian forms, Jade almost immediately launched into the explanation that Setsuna had requested. Predictably, she zipped over the "travel" and "investigation" sections very quickly, having already deemed them "insanely boring;" in fact, she nearly forgot to explain who Paco was in the first place, so focused was she on one aspect of the recent journey she and her friends had undertaken - the still-unidentified monster.

"I take it she looked impressive," Setsuna observed.

"Oh, yeah, she had these _huge_ wings, and claws and a tail and blue skin and red hair, and she looked so incredibly cool!"

"Cool?" asked Michiru with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, it would have been cool, if she wasn't, you know, trying to kill us."

Maria nodded solemnly. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone treat another living thing with such disdain - she practically threw Paco's cousin across the house while she charged at us."

"And that snap from when her leg hit the ground sounded just plain awful," Crabmon added.

"Fortunately, Hotaru has her kick-awesome healing powers, so Josefina's just fine now," Jade said, "but that meant she couldn't actually help us out."

"It's just as well," Hotaru pointed out. "Considering how strong my powers are, getting involved would have been like taking a bomb to a fistfight. Someone else could have gotten hurt."

"Of course, that didn't make things easier when she started firing her laser rifle," Jade continued.

"Laser rifle?!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that? Sorry - in addition to looking totally cool, she had an even cooler looking laser gun that was almost as big as I am. And when she pulled the trigger, it was like, BLAM!"

Chibi-Usa nodded. "Fortunately, we managed to duck out of the way in time, but the blast still hit the front door, which was literally knocked off its hinges."

"And speaking of unhinged, that's just how the monster lady reacted when Maria used her disintegrator attack on her gun."

"Well, she might have caused structural damage to the house if I'd let her continue on," Maria explained.

"Yeah, and if you had missed it, _your_ attack could very well have done the same thing," Crabmon countered.

"In any case, once her gun fell apart, she just charged at us, but I managed to use my super-strength, plus a little judo that I learned from Tohru, to toss her outside." Jade was quite obviously extremely proud to have used her skills so effectively against a formidable opponent.

"She wasn't too happy about that," Chibi-Usa chimed in. "She started spouting something about humans being the bane of her existence or something and started running back towards the house - which is when I blasted her with a fireball."

This bit of information had left the Outers' jaws open, as the pink-haired youth had _never_ shown any propensity for this type of ability. Haruka summed their disbelief up quite succinctly: "Since when have you been able to use fire magic?"

"Since Jade gave me the Dragon talisman - it lets anyone do that sort of thing."

For a moment, it seemed that this explanation would suffice; Haruka, however, latched on to a specific detail. "Wait a minute... talisman? This wouldn't be one of the talismans that your uncle mentioned at the big group meeting, would it? You know, the ones that you _aren't_ supposed to have access to?"

"Um, maybe?"

Michiru sighed. "Jade, if you're going to be a Senshi, you can't just steal things at your convenience - it sets a bad example."

"I… I wasn't stealing them. I was just… borrowing them without permission - but with every intention of returning them once I was done."

Back in Setsuna's living room, a certain eavesdropping pirate couldn't resist a smirk.

"So, what happened next?" asked Michiru.

"Well, this monster had already caused, like, a buttload of damage, and being a responsible, upstanding superhero, I certainly wasn't going to stand for it, so I made one of those big, fancy speeches about love and kindness and all of that other girly crap, and she was like, 'Whoa, I do not want to mess with this girl,' and she up and left before I could really show her what I could do. This leads me to believe that we are dealing with a particularly intelligent and insightful bad guy."

"You expect me to believe that a foe that has already shown that she has absolutely no concern with the lives of others is going to shrink at a standard entrance speech? Particularly one that isn't even given at the start of a battle?"

"No, we don't expect you to believe that, because it isn't what happened," Maria replied, glaring at her friend. "The creature received a message - a hologram of some sort from BlackGatomon - which essentially told her that it was a false alarm (whatever that means), and that she was to return 'at once.'"

"I still think my version is better," Jade said.

"Actually, it's completely implausible to anyone with even a passing knowledge of magical girls," Haruka replied.

"I think we're getting off-track," Michiru said. "Jade's conduct is an issue best left to her uncle, I think."

"Point taken," Setsuna replied. "So, where should this conversation be?"

"Well, on the enemy that they just faced. I guess the big question is this: who or what was that thing?"

"Oh, that one's child's play, love," an unexpected voice suddenly chimed in. The group turned their heads back towards Setsuna's living room, where Captain Jack Sparrow was seated on the Time Guardian's couch, with his boot-covered feet on her glass coffee table as he watched a stereotypically bizarre Japanese game show. "Blue skin, red hair, bad temper and a winged hourglass figure? It's Demona."

"Well, yeah, we guessed that it was some sort of demon, but that doesn't really help us, because we don't know what kind of demon she was," Chibi-Usa replied.

"I didn't say she was a demon, love - in fact, she isn't one at all. I said she was _Demona_, because that's her name. She's a gargoyle."

"A gargoyle?"

"Nocturnal humanoids who turn to stone by day and come to life at night." Setsuna explained. "They're fairly rare - I've heard rumors that small colonies of them can still be found scattered throughout the world, but it's been centuries since I've actually seen one. But gargoyles aren't immortal."

"Neither are humans, yet here I am in your living room, more than two hundred years after my arrival."

"Yes, you are, and will you _please_ stop touching my things?"

Jack set the trinket he'd been palming back onto the side table. "Spoilsport."

"So, what, is this Demona an immortal gargoyle, then?" Jade asked.

"For all practical purposes, yes, unless something's changed since we last met."

"Okay, so what was she doing in Mexico?"

"You'd have to ask her that."

"Great. So how do we find her?"

"Well, I think she once told me that she has some connection with a clan of Scottish gargoyles, so you might want to start there."

"No, you don't," Setsuna interrupted. "That clan was shipped to New York City a few years ago."

"Huh? How do you 'ship' creatures like that such a long distance without anyone noticing?" asked Hotaru.

"Well, they do look like statues when they're in their stone form."

"Yeah, but what if they returned to normal?"

"Look, I don't know all the details myself, but apparently there was some sort of curse involved."

"A curse? What kind?"

"Look, I don't know, okay? I don't generally pay attention to gargoyles, since they're usually content to stay out of major events in the timeline." Setsuna was clearly getting annoyed that at the rather conspicuous gap that had been discovered in her knowledge base.

Or maybe it was the fact that somebody _else_ was present who could fill that gap quite thoroughly. "No problem, love - I can tell you everything you need to know about Demona."


	20. At the Morons of Madness

"I can't thank you enough for this, Cologne," Ukyo said as she brought the last box of her supplies into the Nekohanten's kitchen.

From her perch on her staff, the Amazon matriarch smiled at the young restaurateur. "There's nothing to thank me for, my dear. After all, you are officially in the world-saving business now - I'm the one who should be thanking you."

"But seriously - letting me set up shop here? That's way more than I ever expected."

"Well, I AM getting a 25% cut of your profits as rent."

"There is that, I suppose," Ukyo trailed off and looked around. "Have you seen Konatsu anywhere?"

"Oh, she's hiding in the shadows over in one of the corners, waiting to see if I try any funny business."

"How did you know?" Konatsu asked as she emerged from her hiding space.

"Don't get me wrong, if I had been someone less familiar with ninjitsu techniques, you probably would have succeeded. However, you're still getting used to that female body - and that created several subtle cues that was able to pick up on from my years of dealing with Jusenkyo victims."

"Oh," the kunoichi replied.

"What made you think she'd try something funny, Konatsu?" Ukyo asked quizzically.

"Well, given the way you and Shampoo fight over Ranma, this seemed like the perfect opening to take advantage of the situation."

Cologne chuckled to herself. "My, you are the loyal one, aren't you? But Ukyo has very little to fear from us now - I take it she told you about the Senshi's place in Amazon legend?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I'm not about to do anything that would interfere with your ability to carry out your duties, and pressing the issue of Ranma's engagements would do exactly that, which is why Shampoo will be putting any attempts at romance on the back-burner for the near future, and Ukyo has agreed to do the same."

"Right… and what about Akane?"

"Actually, Akane's been wanting to do that for a long time," Ukyo answered. "When I brought this up with her, she pretty much said that she thinks that the pressure from their fathers has probably been more of an obstacle than a help to her relationship with Ranchan."

Konatsu screwed up her face at her employer's decidedly awkward phrasing. "Come again?"

"We've decided to sort things out later, when we have time."

The kunoichi shrugged. "If you say so, Ukyo-sama."

It was at this point that another voice interjected itself into the conversation, calling out from a corner of the dining area which was apparently in the midst of being remodeled: "Say, if Shampoo's going to be holding off on the womanizing jerk, does that mean I…"

Cologne cut Mousse off before he could even finish his sentence. "No, it doesn't mean you are free to pursue Shampoo's affection, part-timer."

"Why not?"

"Because you lost that pursuit a long time ago. Now get back to work and finish Ukyo's kiosk - and put your glasses on! I will not have my new revenue stream disrupted because of shoddy construction!"

Mousse acquiesced, though not without extensive muttering, and returned to his task of installing Ukyo's griddle.

"In any case," Ukyo said to steer the conversation elsewhere, "at least we won't need to worry about Konatsu's evil stepfamily - they'd have to be nuts to attack a place owned by the Amazons, right?" This was almost immediately followed by an ominous rumble. "Um… that was thunder, right?"

"Not a cloud in the sky," Cologne replied drolly.

"Um, Konatsu, your stepfamily isn't stupid enough to attack a group of fighters as strong as the Amazons, are they?"

"Oh, of course not," Konatsu replied, although her confidence was shaken by a second rumbling, which was enough to send Cologne to the back room to fetch Shampoo to help deal with whatever was coming.

"Then there's nothing to worry about, right?" Ukyo continued.

"Well, no - assuming that they actually know about the Amazons in the first place." A third rumble, even louder than before.

Ukyo swallowed hard. "And… do they?"

This question was answered not by Konatsu, but by a massive crash which knocked the door to the Nekohanten off of its hinges, from which entered the three most horrifically ugly monstrosities Nerima had ever seen - horrendous beasts with forms of geometry unknown to human civilization, said to drive the mind of mere mortals to the brink of madness, if not beyond. In other words, it was Konatsu's evil stepmother and stepsisters. "Where is that ungrateful brat?!" bellowed the eldest of the three.

"I'll take that as a no," Ukyo replied.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Another episode by Kwakerjak. Short but brilliant. Sorry this took so long to upload.

Shritistrang


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